


I Will Always Test You

by EmeraldRoseQuartz, Latent_Thoughts



Series: Loki and Iona: Royal Pains [1]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Play, Anal Sex, Asgard (Marvel), Awkward Romance, Canon Divergence - Thor: The Dark World, Dom/sub Undertones, Domestic Fluff, Dubious Consent, Enemies to Lovers, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Smut, Forced Marriage, Idiots in Love, Jotunn Loki (Marvel), King Loki, Marriage Proposal, Married Couple, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Non-Consensual Touching, Oral Sex, Outdoor Sex, Romance, Rough Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Sex Toys, Sexual Coercion, Sexual Tension, Shameless Smut, Smut, Thor: The Dark World, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2020-11-28 11:56:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 50
Words: 178,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20966183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeraldRoseQuartz/pseuds/EmeraldRoseQuartz, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Latent_Thoughts/pseuds/Latent_Thoughts
Summary: Loki and Iona Trygvedottir have never gotten along. She is a headstrong lady-in-waiting to Queen Frigga, and Loki is... well,Loki. The simmering animosity between them begins to boil when Frigga chooses her to make regular visits to Loki in the dungeons, bringing him luxury foods and items of interest. She takes the opportunity to give him a piece of her mind. Meanwhile, he's set on paying her back for all the insults and slights she insisted on lobbing at him while he was locked up - in the most vindictive way possible.





	1. Prisoner

**Author's Note:**

> **Latent_Thoughts:** This fic is the result of a heavy-duty RP between myself and EmeraldRoseQuartz. Hence, you'll notice that the writing flow and style is very different from our other fics. The perspective keeps switching from Loki to OFC, and so we've chosen different font identities from them. I'm very thrilled to share this story with you all.
> 
> **EmeraldRoseQuartz:** I'm a product of the early Yahoo Chat RPs of the late 90s, and when Latent_Thoughts mentioned it might be fun to try an RP story, I knew it would be fun...and I was right! The story (and the smut, of course) are just delightful. Don't let the unique storytelling format throw you off - once you get into it, you won't be able to stop!

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

Iona grumbled to herself while she carried the dusty old books to the dungeons. 

"_Take the books to the prince. Take the wine...take the _damned _raudrberries._ _They're his favourite!_ As if there's nothing better for me to do. Norns, I sometimes despise this station. _This _wasn’t why I had become the queen’s lady-in-waiting."

The magical garb provided by the queen protected her, so she didn't bother about keeping her volume low. At least she could air her frustrations this way before reaching her destination, which was bound to annoy her to no end.

When she reached the prince's cell, she stepped in through the one-way magical barrier and dumped the books onto his table without so much as a greeting to him.

"The queen sent these for you," she stated primly, looking down her nose at Loki.

She didn't even hide the disdain in her voice this time around. He was a disgraced royal now; he had no one’s favour save for the queen’s. And that certainly didn’t shield him from Iona’s burning contempt.

"If his royal highness needs anything, he may tell me. Though, I don't guarantee that it will be delivered to you.”

She smirked as he turned to glare at her.

**“Ah, Iona. So ** ** _lovely_ ** ** to see you again,” Loki growled sarcastically as he lounged on the divan, returning to the book he had been reading...though why he should continue to entertain himself with THAT now that ** ** _she _ ** **was here…**

**“Anything new in the outside world? Perhaps a death, or a coup, or a sneaky little minx that might accidentally cause my release?” He smirked and watched for her reaction.**

She laughed acerbically at his insinuation.

"Oh please. As if releasing you will do anyone any favours. I happen to think that you're finally in a place where you belong," she quipped, sniffing haughtily, knowing that he hated seeing her act like this. "Though the queen, bless her sweet heart, has a soft spot for you the size of the Yggdrasil, even  _ she  _ won't think of doing it, I believe. She knows that her son is a walking, talking bad influence, an  _ inglorious wretch _ ."

**“Ooooh ‘inglorious wretch.’ Look at you, learning new insults. How long have you been waiting to call me THAT one, ** ** _sweetling?” _ ** **Loki stood, eyes still locked on her as he brought himself to his full height, intentionally becoming as intimidating as possible. He stared her down as he walked slowly towards her, taking long and languorous steps, almost panther-like.**

**“You’d know all about how ** ** _bad _ ** **of an influence I can be, won’t you, Iona? And since no one but my mother--who you already ** ** _know_ ** ** is wrapped around my finger--knows you’re here… and no one outside can see anything unusual happening in this--” he waved his hand dismissively at the space around him “--** ** _luxuriously _ ** **accommodated fish bowl--” he bent down, nose to nose, daring her to flinch. “Perhaps you best watch your tone, girl.”**

Iona tried her best to stand her ground, even though his proximity was unsettling.  _ Damn him and his intimidation tactics. _

"The queen may be bent on spoiling you, but she's not blind to your deeds, my prince," she said defiantly, placing a hand on his chest to push him back. The touch somehow felt more charged than it ought to; still, she persisted.

"But go ahead, deliver more empty threats. I'm really  _ terrified _ ."

She stared back at him in challenge, knowing full well that he was sentenced to spend the rest of his life here in the dungeons. There was nothing he actually  _ could  _ do.

And even when he  _ was  _ free, he couldn’t do much, for he knew the immunity she enjoyed under the queen’s protection. Hence, his threats of harm were almost always empty…

**Loki half-smiled at her retort. **

**“I’m sure,” he purred, not moving an inch at her attempt to shove him back. “But a little ** ** _terror_ ** **\--” he leaned closer, still focused on keeping her gaze firmly on his “--can add a bit of excitement to an otherwise dreary existence, can it not?”**

**His whole body pushed forward, forcing her back until she was pressed against the cell’s wall, and he chuckled from a very deep place in his chest. He tilted his head slightly to the side, watching her closely. “What kind of terror have you imagined I’m capable of, little one? I’ve attempted to destroy whole realms. I’ve nearly killed the ** ** _mighty_ ** ** Thor on several occasions. I’ve survived more horrors than you could imagine…what ** ** _can _ ** **you do to resist me, you small, delicate little thing?”**

**He put a hostile finger under her chin, lifting her face to align with his.**

"I'm not  _ delicate _ ," she fumed, nudging his finger away. "And you've listed the precise reasons why you'll never escape this prison. Being born a prince is no accomplishment."

His eyes seemed to glow in anger at her words, and finally, she tried to slip away sideways against the wall to escape their intensity. It didn’t work, for he blocked her by putting his palms against the wall on either side of her.

Loki had always unsettled her with his strange, predatory mannerisms, but she wasn't a simpering girl. She had learned to deal with him over the years.

"You'd also do well to remember that I'm a  _ lady _ , a noblewoman. Your threats can land you in even  _ more  _ trouble than you're already in."

**“Define ‘more,’” he chuckled, finally backing away and laying back down in the divan, his legs spread obscenely wide. “You may be a lady, but I am a ** ** _prince_ ** **. Despite my transgressions. I outrank you.”**

**He noticed her gaze gravitating towards his spread legs, especially lingering on his crotch. That reaction from her alone made him feel quite smug about his physicality.**

**“Besides,” he said, stretching himself across the cushions of the furniture he’d chosen to support his lean frame in the most sexually seductive way he could manage. “It’s not ** ** _my _ ** **ambition that concerns me. It’s ** ** _yours_ ** **, your ladyship.” He grinned, wrapping his hand behind his head. “How long have we known each other, Iona? How long have you been ** ** _desperate _ ** **to become more than a ‘handmaiden to the Queen’?” **

**His emerald eyes remained hooded as he settled back on his lounge.**

**“How many ** ** _ages _ ** **has it been since you decided you wanted to be a ‘princess’? And what, sweet girl, would you be willing to do for that title?”**

She blanched at his insinuation, grasping the folds of her dress in consternation.  _ How dare he! _

It was true that she had been trained by her mother, since childhood, to somehow grow close to the royalty. Getting closer to the princes, in particular, had meant that one of them would eventually take interest in her.

However, that didn’t quite work out the way her ambitious parents had expected it.

Iona had not gotten along with Loki right from the start, for he had always managed to play some sort of mischief or trick on her. She didn’t think him unattractive--it was hard to miss his striking features--but she did think him utterly obnoxious. The obnoxiousness eclipsed the beauty in his case. 

Hence, Thor had been the only other option. Honestly, Thor wasn't the kind of man that usually attracted her, but still, she had tried her best to attract  _ him  _ in the past. And she had been unsuccessful in her endeavour.

Loki knew all about that. And hence, he was now taunting her.

"I'm after nothing, my prince. I aim to serve the queen, that's all," she lied, trying to regain her composure in front of the infuriating man. "You're trying to stir an empty pot."

**He smirked. **

**“Aha...” was his only response. God of Lies that he was, her charade merely amused him. And, now that he was facing an eternity of the same four walls, any amusement was gold.**

**“Well then. Best be on your way, to serve your ** ** _queen_ ** **.” He waited to see if she had more to say before departing… he certainly had a final word to give her, if she’d indulge him…**

"Don't think to command me,  _ fallen prince _ , I'm not  _ your _ lady-in-waiting," she stated stiffly, her anger with him bubbling over in her words. "And as I said, do tell me what all you want. I'll relay it to the queen so that she can move ahead in her endeavour to spoil you rotten."

**Loki settled deeper into the divan, leaving his legs spread as wide as he could. “Dear, if I were to tell you what I ** ** _truly _ ** **want, you would run from here, blushing like a virgin maiden. And despite your--” his hand circled in the air, as though he were trying to find the right words “--** ** _insistence _ ** **that my desires are those of a spoiled boy, I’m certain the queen would hardly be surprised by my… ** ** _exotic _ ** **tastes.”**

**Suddenly, his expression changed from one that was lax and disinterested to one that was challenging and feral.**

**“And what I want, the ** ** _queen_ ** ** certainly can’t give me. That, little one, is solely up to you.”**

**He sat up, never breaking their intense eye contact.**

**“I admire your ambition, Iona. To become more than you were meant to be. To ruthlessly pursue what you want. You understand that drive; can you honestly judge me for making the attempt?” He stared at her, hard, awaiting her response.**

Norns, the incorrigible man was pretending to be suggestive with her now… perhaps thinking that she’d be flustered.

She knew that this was all merely  _ posturing  _ on his part...

"I haven't any inkling of what you mean, Loki, for you and I are hardly comparable creatures," she said, deliberately taking his name this time, wanting to annoy him in turn with her impertinence. "But I do know that I haven't got the whole day to spend here. I'd rather do something much more engaging. This conversation is boring me to sleep."

She rolled her eyes at him and pretended to yawn.

"If that's all, and if you have no other requests to make, I'll be taking my leave."

**“If that’s all...then I suppose that’s all.”**

**He smiled knowingly, picked up his book, and proceeded to completely ignore her.**

She rolled her eyes again and then left in a huff, muttering to herself about the annoying jobs that the queen kept giving her. Why couldn’t she give this  _ particular  _ task to someone else? Why only her?

**As she left… he checked out her ass--presented so well in that form hugging fabric of her dress. He wondered what it looked like ** ** _under _ ** **that flowing dress of hers. Perhaps, someday, he’d have a chance to find out...**

**To be honest, the girl was pretty enough, and he wasn’t averse to the idea of seeking pleasure between her willowy legs. Truth be told, her scathing wit was quite arousing… for nothing aroused Loki more than a sharp mind.**

**However, her transgressions against him were ever increasing, and hence, Loki also wished for a bit of revenge... **

* * *

**It wasn’t long after that that Thor brought his ailing mortal--Jane Foster--back to Asgard. She was possessed of the Aether, and targeted by the Dark Elves--long thought to be extinct by Asgard. They attacked the palace, led by Malekith, and in the battle, Odin was slain. **

**Thor and Loki forged a tentative alliance to save Jane and rid the universe of the Dark Elf threat. **

**Finally, after a risky battle, the brothers triumphed, saving Jane, defeating Malekith, and containing the Aether. **

**In their efforts together, Loki and Thor came to understand each other much better than before. And this was how Thor revealed to Loki that he truly wanted to stay on Midgard. **

**And Loki, gladly, accepted the throne of Asgard.**


	2. The Proposition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki is now the Allfather, and Iona knows that she's in trouble. But not the kind of trouble she had expected.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

Iona paced about in her chambers, awaiting a reply from the queen. She had sent her a small missive this morn, asking after her wellbeing. It was really an opening for more interaction that she had sought, but the queen hadn’t bitten.

After the Allfather had fallen during the first Dark Elf attack, the Allmother had been grief stricken and near inconsolable. Hence, she had secluded herself in mourning after King Odin's funeral, refusing to see anyone but her eldest handmaid or her sons.

Now, the kingdom was in a flux. Against all expectations, Thor had abdicated. And that left only one person to ascend to the throne of Asgard--Loki.

Never in her life had Iona expected this to happen. Yes, Loki had been king regent for a short few days, but no one had expected it to last. It _didn't _last.

Now, he was king by succession, pardoned by Thor before he had renounced the throne. It all reeked of a deep conspiracy, but how could Iona blame Thor in all of this? He was supposed to be noble hearted, he wouldn't put someone ruthless and unkind on the throne, would he?

The answer was uncertain, and hence, Iona was plagued by anxiety. More so for herself than for all of Asgard... for Loki was sure to make her a target of his ire.

She had certainly spent the last one year pulling the tail of a caged tiger, assuming that she was at a safe distance. Now, that tiger was free, prowling all over the throne of Asgard and possibly looking for his vengeance against her.

For a bit, she entertained the thoughts of going back home to her family estate. But there, she was sure to be pressured into marrying some craggy old man of riches. Her mother would not let her live it down that she couldn't secure the hand of prince Thor. It'd be an embarrassment.

No, she couldn't go back home. Not right now. Her only hope was that she'd be able to convince the queen to relieve her from her duties. That would allow her to leave Asgard altogether, and put some distance between her and Loki.

She needed that to happen soon... for she knew that whenever Loki saw her next, he was going to torment her somehow…

Her restless thoughts were interrupted by a respectful knock on the door of her chambers.

“Lady Iona?” a small, rather mousy female voice asked from behind the closed threshold. “His majesty, King Loki, has requested your presence in the throne room. I’ve been sent to escort you.”

Iona stiffened, almost wanting to run to the bifrost instead of heading to the throne room.

The wretch didn't even give her the grace and courtesy to come on her own. No, he had to send someone to make sure that she immediately heeded his command.

Clenching her fists, she opened the door and nodded to the servant.

"I'm ready."

She was most certainly not ready.

Finally, when they reached the entrance to the throne room, the servant took her leave and left her alone. Alone to face Loki…

With her heart in her mouth, Iona stepped inside the throne room, trying her best to keep up her facade of noble sangfroid.

**Loki leaned back on the throne.**

**HIS throne. He leaned back on HIS throne.**

**He held HIS Gungnir, in HIS throne room. In HIS palace.**

**And he watched Iona like a predator as she walked through the massive doors into the enormous empty hall, her footsteps echoing throughout the chamber. He didn’t speak until she was at the foot of the golden dais, bowing to him in deference.**

**“My dear Iona. Please, stand.” His voice dripped with sadistic delight.**

The familiarity with which he spoke her name made her shiver with dread. She didn't like the tone of his voice either--so _conceited_.

He was most definitely mocking her, sarcasm flowing like a brook from his notorious silvertongue.

She rose and stared up at him, clutching her hands together, trying to appear unperturbed. Her heart, however, fluttered against her chest like a hummingbird.

"Your majesty, I was told that you wished to see me. I'm curious as to what purpose I can serve for you."

She tried her best to keep the sarcasm from dripping into her voice. That wouldn't do. She had to tread carefully, for Loki now literally had the power to make her life utterly miserable.

**Loki huffed a chuckle and sat upright, leaning his weight on the arm of the throne as his fingers slowly twirled the golden staff in his hand.**

**“Yes...you’ve always been a curious little thing, haven’t you? I do so love curiosity. It makes life that much more interesting, wouldn’t you agree?”**

His words confused her, and hence, she stared at him blankly.

"I... well, yes. There would be no progress without curiosity, sire," she stated in agreement, a bit hesitant as she saw a wicked smirk forming on his lips.

Oh she hated it when he smirked like _that_. That expression was the harbinger of trouble.

She watched him apprehensively as he lifted the Gungnir slightly, pointing it in her direction. She knew that he could very well kill her in that moment, and it made her knees wobbly with fear.

However, he didn’t use the power of the magical staff against her. He simply placed it right next to the throne. It stood upright on its own, glinting in the bright firelight of the room, looking like a silent observer of their tense interaction as Loki opened his mouth to speak again.

**“And would you also agree,” he said as he stood and began walking down the stairs toward her, gaze locked onto hers, “that, given this curious turn of events, you might find yourself in a position to be especially ** **accommodating ** **to the newly crowned Allfather of the Nine Realms? Perhaps a touch remorseful for past slights?”**

**He stood in front of her, still several steps up, which gave him a significant height advantage. The horns and full formal royal garb added a great deal of gravitas and--he knew--** **intimidation ** **to his stance.**

"What?" she squeaked, embarrassingly high pitched and nearly shrill.

In all honesty, his words terrified her. What sort of accommodation did he want from her? For a moment, her thoughts were filled with the possibilities of turning a noble into a thrall. It wasn’t impossible for the king of the Nine Realms to do so, no matter how shocking or unheard of...

Forcing her composure back somehow, she cleared her throat and tried to speak again.

"I do not understand, your majesty. If it is my apology that you seek, then I will give it to you with the utmost respect and depth of sentiment. I deeply regret causing you any distress with my conduct in the past."

She even clutched her heart in a show of humility and remorse, dearly hoping that he’d buy it.

**“Mhm...” he hummed as he closed the distance between them in a few long steps. He reached down and gently lifted her chin with his knuckle, staring down into her amber eyes. “I forgive you, dear Iona. For all the spite you showed me while I was imprisoned. For every unkind word you spoke behind my back. For all the gossip you started and propagated at my expense. I forgive you for all of it.”**

**He bent down and gently kissed her forehead, holding her chin up firmly with his hand. When he pulled back, his eyes danced with mischief.**

**“And now that we’ve moved on from that dreadful part of our history, I have a proposition for you. One I’m fairly certain you’ll be unwilling to refuse...”**

Iona desperately wanted to take several steps back to escape him. But it would be an insult to the throne and the Allfather, and she couldn't afford to make that kind of a social gaffe. Already, she was in so much trouble...

His lips on her skin... Norns, she did not like how they made her nearly jump out of her skin.

"Sire, I'm in no position to take up another job while I'm serving the queen," she explained hurriedly, hoping that the mention of the queen would stop him in his tracks. "I'm bound by my duties."

**Loki just laughed darkly and shook his head. “My dear, I’ve already spoken with the queen. She is delighted to release you from her service for this… _unique _opportunity. And your parents are positively thrilled...”**

**With one final grin that made it seem like his dark mirth might bubble over into a genuine evil laugh...he bent down on one knee.**

**“Iona...” he said, his voice gravel and silk all at once. “Beautiful, faithful, loyal Iona...”**

**When he looked back up at her, it was decidedly NOT a look of love or affection. His face was lit with nothing more than mischievous glee and long-awaited vengeance.**

**“Be my wife… my ** ** _queen_ ** **.”**

Iona stumbled back, eyes wide and disbelieving. Loki despised her. His spite for her was so clear in his eyes right now. What was he trying to achieve by proposing marriage to her?

"Wha-" she croaked, unable to even form a full word in her shock.

This was a nightmare. It couldn't be anything else. Why else would Loki be doing this?

What trick of his was this?

For a moment, she felt light-headed, and she feared that she'd faint. She had to take a few deep breaths to remain stable on her feet. Fainting in front of the cruel king would only add to her woes.

"Is this some kind of..." She broke off mid-sentence, taking another deep, fortifying breath. Her heart was thudding against her chest. "Are you making a _jest_?"

That last question came out, despite her best efforts, as a shriek.

**In mock offense, Loki brought an open hand to his heart in a gesture of wounding.**

**“Iona! Surely you don’t believe that I, the ** ** _Allfather_ ** **, would jest about something as important as selection the next Queen of the Nine Realms? I’ve ** **always ** **admired you - I said as much when you so graciously visited me in secret while I was in the dungeons. And I would love nothing more than to have you by my side. The time I spent locked up gave me such an ** **appreciation ** **for your beauty, your grace, your talents… and your discretion.”**

**He smirked again as he stood, and took her hands in his. Everything in his body language was genuine. Everything in his expression was malignant.**

**“And now we can be together… forever.”**

Iona stared at his hands gripping hers, certain that they'd soon turn into coiling snakes. They certainly felt like manacles. His grip was a vice, strong and unrelenting, and she couldn't pull out of his hands at all.

"Sire," she gasped, shaking her head. "I..."

Swallowing thickly, she tried to gather her thoughts. They had all been scattered all over the Yggdrasil, it seemed.

And the absolutely menacing look in his eyes wasn't doing anything for her poor, overworked heart. This was most definitely a trick, but she didn't know what exactly he was planning to do here.

She couldn't reject his proposition either; no one rejected a proposition from the _king_. Not without a great and potent reason. She had no pretext for a refusal.

"I... I need time to think about it, sire," she finally managed to say, her voice trembling with the effort.

**Loki looked at her with a closed-lip smile, like an adult watching a child about to throw a tantrum. That was to say, smugly and degradingly.**

**“There’s nothing to think about, Iona. Your parents have already approved. In fact, they’ll be here tomorrow evening for our betrothal ceremony.”**

**Loki revelled in the thrill bursting in his chest. Even though he was planning to make her life less than savoury, she was the perfect solution for some of his problems--none of the other kingdoms would try to foist their eligible daughters at him in hopes of garnering some political alliance; no need to go through the tedious social gatherings that preluded royal courtships.**

**Iona was of… _acceptable _noble heritage. And the story he had told her parents about how he had fallen in love with her during his imprisonment, with a twinkling tear tracking down his face at the sheer ** **emotion ** **he felt for her… ah, it was a delight to watch them take the bait, leaving her to him with hardly a question. After all, they had always aligned with the royal family in the past, in the hopes of getting close to them. Now was their golden chance...**

**Loki reached up and ever so gently stroked her cheek, practically daring her to move away from it.**

**“You will make a most beautiful bride, my dear.”**

She closed her eyes as he stroked her cheek, her mind nearly swimming in different, scattered directions in order to escape reality.

"Why?" she whispered, feeling so helpless. "Why are you doing this?"

**He waited until she opened her eyes, then brushed away the tears that began to fall down her cheeks. “Because I ** **love ** **you, Iona. Why else ** **would ** **I be doing this?”**

**With that, he bent down and planted the most gentle kiss on her lips, lifting her face with his hand to meet his.**

A shiver ran down her spine as he pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was gentle, sensual even, but she knew that the intent behind it wasn't. Still, his lips were surprisingly soft, and her body reacted to them before she could tell it not to.

Her hand came up to rest against his chest, his armour cold against her skin. Weakly, she clawed against that armour in whatever defiance she could muster. It was all that she could do to protest…

Oh, how easily he could lie. She wondered if he had lied to the queen too--his own _mother_. Was there any line that he was not willing to cross to get his revenge?

Slowly, she tried to pull away from him, to break the kiss.

**He didn’t let her.**

**Loki deepened their kiss, even moaning in pleasure as he slid his tongue between her lips and began to partake in the sweetness of her mouth. This wasn’t the eagerness of a passionate lover here--it was dominating, controlling, overpowering… and it obviously wasn’t going to stop at mere kissing.**

**He practically lifted her off the floor as he pulled her close, taking her mouth with all the skill of a great warrior and the ferocity of a predatory animal.**

Iona was well and truly afraid now... of what he was doing, or what more he might be planning on doing.

She now had both of her hands against his chest, pushing against it with great effort. Loki, however, was not budging even a bit. His tongue stroked hers repeatedly, making her gasp and squirm at the sensation. It was all very feral and dark, and she wasn't prepared for it at all.

When he lifted her off the floor, she began to panic.

Turning her face away from him, she pried her mouth from his, at last, taking a deep breath to fill her lungs.

"Let me go," she mumbled weakly, her voice unsteady. "What are you _doing_?"

**Loki stopped, but did not let her go. He kept her close to him, feeling her supple little body trembling against his chest. The feel of it was ** **maddening… ** **how long had it been since he had enjoyed the pleasures of the flesh? He allowed himself a moment to indulge in it, taking a long, deep, shuddering breath.**

**By the time he looked back into her eyes, he was fully in control.**

**“Iona, I’m giving you everything you’ve ever wanted. A life of royalty. Status. A crown. THE crown, my dear--Queen of Asgard, Allmother of the Nine Realms. You will never be called a mere ** **lady ** **again; you will never lift a finger in service to another… except ** ** _me_ ** **, of course.” He grinned at her, feeling her breath on his face. It was intoxicating, this rush of power and triumph. His hands began sliding around her waist then, tickling her skin through the soft fabric of her dress. “And I ask for _so _** **little ** **in return...”**

"You've never been so benevolent to me," she said in a small voice, wiggling against him as he slid his hands around her waist.

Despite her misgivings, his words were beginning to affect her. All of what he had just mentioned, she had wanted. She had been _groomed _to want it.

How could she resist such a great temptation?

Norns, because he was most certainly going to do something unsavoury to her…

Yes, she had wanted the crown, the luxuries...all of it, but she hadn't imagined it all with Loki as her king and lord husband.

"I've never been kind to you. You want s-someone who loves you back, don't you?" she asked, looking at him with wide, silently pleading eyes.

**With a simpering grin, he put his forehead against hers.**

**“But my dear… you already do.”**

**He slowly lowered her to her feet, then took her hand and began leading her up the stairs of the golden dais… towards the throne.**

**“All that past unkindness was simply your way of trying to process your feelings for me. I understand now, darling. At first, I was greatly insulted--and perhaps I did not react in the most becoming manner. But I see now what your actions ** **truly ** **meant, and with that knowledge I find my own feelings for you are too strong to ignore.”**

**The words came so easily, like pouring water from a carafe.**

**They reached the top of the dais, and he pulled her to the throne, seating her on the wide armrest. “Now that we have both realized how much we care for each other, all that is left for us is to marry and lead the Nine Realms. As spouses. As ** ** _lovers_ ** **. As everything we need to be… ** **for the _people_** **.” He smirked again, his emerald eyes burrowing into her soul, watching her as she struggled to resist his inveigling.**

**“I love you, Iona. And all you must do is love me in return.”**

**That was the facade of their bargain. And he knew that she was hungry enough for the title of the ** **Allmother ** **to accept it.**

Iona felt so utterly vulnerable, with nothing protecting her from Loki’s clutches now. Her parents had consented, the queen had consented... no doubt moved by his smooth lies.

He was so good with the lies that she herself was getting pulled into his charm, little by little. It was akin to slipping into quicksand.

Oh, but the thought of being with him constantly... of being in his bed as his dutiful wife… was a daunting, intimidating thing. She didn't know if she'd be able to handle him.

But... did she even have a choice?

All she was expected to do was to accept this ‘great honour’ graciously. Not one person had thought to ask her first--or even tell her, for that matter. Her fate had been sealed without her consent or knowledge.

What else could she do but accept it with grace?

It wasn’t even that bad, was it? She’d be the queen of Asgard, after all. The _Allmother_. She’d get to have her own powers...

Swallowing thickly, she looked up into his brilliant green eyes and nodded slightly, silently begging the Norns to show her some mercy.

"I'll... I'll try my best, sire."

**With a victorious grin, he took her in his arms and moved her onto the seat of the throne, insinuating himself between her suddenly spread her legs. He was absolutely sure that she could feel his raging hard manhood pressing against her most intimate parts, their clothes the only barrier between them.**

**“There’s my good girl...” he purred as he reached down, gathering the fabric of her dress and pulling it upward toward her waist. “Now...show me how ** **grateful ** **you are.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We hope that you liked this update. Let us know what you thought about it.  
The response to the last chapter blew us away. We love ya'll. <3


	3. Revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki makes Iona dance to his whims...
> 
> **WARNING: Extremely Dub-Con action.**

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

**“There’s my good girl...” he purred as he reached down, gathering the fabric of her dress and pulling it upward toward her waist. “Now...show me how ** ** _grateful _ ** **you are.”**

"Loki, what--" She pressed herself back against the throne, trying to put some distance between them. He, however, leaned further onto her, leaving her no space to retreat.

"This is the throne room! This is no place for sating your... " She nearly swallowed her tongue as she forced the words out. "For your lust!"

Her hands grabbed his forearm, trying to stop him from exposing her to his increasingly hungry looking eyes. "We're not married yet, sire, this is improper behaviour!"

**“Shhhhhhh,” he whispered, still pulling the folds of her skirt upwards. He began to kiss the soft skin of her neck, reveling in the goosebumps that blossomed from his touch.**

**“You forget yourself, sweet Iona. There is NOTHING I cannot do now. I’m the Allfather. The most powerful person in the Nine Realms. Do you honestly think something as flimsy as accusations of ‘improper behavior’ are going to stop me from sating ** ** _anything_ ** **?”**

**With that, his hand dipped inside her undergarments, and his thumb began to circle her clitoris slowly, pushing aside the tight curls to find her nub.**

She squeaked as she felt his touch on her most sensitive, most intimate place. There was no stopping him, that she knew by now. Her grip on his forearm did nothing to dissuade him, it was useless, and so she let go and grasped the throne instead.

"Loki! S-Sire!" She wanted to say more, but nothing else came out of her mouth as he began to stroke her. Slowly, her lust rose from its slumber, responding to his invading fingers.

Those fingers _ knew _what they were doing, much better than even her own. It was shocking how well he knew how to touch her.

She breathed heavily, her resistance slowly faltering in the wake of his relentless and aggressive seduction. He was ruining her, in a way, and some part of her was beginning to enjoy it.

Norns help her, she didn't know what to do...

**“Mmmmmm...say my name again...” he commanded, growling as he felt her body begin to slicken with need. He pushed two fingers inside her, stretching the fabric of her panties to accommodate his hand, and began to tease her with a come-hither motion, stroking that smooth and sensitive internal spot with deft and practiced technique.**

**“Say my name like it will be the last one to escape your lips in passion. Like there is no one in the universe for you but me. Say it, Iona...”**

She gazed back at him with lost, unfocused eyes as her pleasure rose. She was past resisting now, her hands simply gripping the arms of the throne as he ravished her with his fingers.

When he commanded her, she felt compelled to follow through. Her rebellious side had all but vanished… 

"Loki!" she cried out, eyes shutting close as she chased that peak of pleasure that his touch was promising. 

As she screamed his name, _ repeatedly _, it echoed off the high walls of the throne room and amplified. She could hear the lust in her own voice; it sounded so strange.

**It was music. A cathedral of his name, and he swam in it with rapture. With a deft gesture and a bit of seidr, her underwear disappeared, dissolving from her body. He pulled himself from his breeches, took his hand from her center, and aligned his girth with her opening, watching her face with feral delight.**

**“You’re mine now, Iona.”**

**He began to push himself inside, glacially slow, drinking in the expression on her face.**

**“No more games. No more fights. You will be my sweet, obedient little queen. And if you do well...”**

**He continued to fill her slowly, taking as much time as he could, feeling her walls desperately clenching around him and her hands holding with a death grip to his forearms. Her entire body shook as he took her, and he hated to admit how difficult it was to maintain his restraint - were he a more impulsive man, he would be rutting her like a stallion in heat.**

**But that would come. In time. And it would be all the better if he had patience and control now.**

**“...you will be ****_so_** **_very_**** happy.”**

Iona was still catching her breath when he began to breach her, catching her completely off-guard. 

A frown came over her face, reeling from confusion and near delirium as she slowly got impaled on his manhood right on the throne of Asgard. 

Her lips parted in a deep moan while she felt twinges of both pain and pleasure. 

"Loki," she sobbed, hands gripping him tighter, thighs aching as her body was sandwiched between the hard throne and his virile body. "I... please!"

**Loki growled salaciously at her begging, and he began to pump slowly inside her. She was ** ** _tight..._ ** **and though she wasn’t virginal (that would have to be a conversation for another day), he could tell by her reactions that she was quite inexperienced.**

** _All the better,_ ** ** he mused, reveling in the little shocked and submissive expressions that played across her face like a tapestry of emotions she desperately tried to keep hidden.**

She looked up at him in shock and wonder. It felt like she was being breached for the first time, even though it _ wasn’t _her first time. No… that had been centuries ago, with a fumbling young noble.

The Alfan lord had shown her his interest during a trip to Alfheim. They had shared a few secret missives of newfound affection, and he had treated her like a treasure for that short while. He had taken her under a starry night sky, on a plush bed of Alfan grass and wildflowers.

It had been the most romantic night of her life… even though the love-making was over far too soon. Iona had been left with a sense of dissatisfaction, but she hadn’t blamed the young lord.

At least, not until the next day, when he had acted as though they were strangers, and he had gone chasing after the skirts of another maiden…

That had left a deep mark on Iona’s psyche, so much that she’d never attempted to return the attentions of any noble at the Asgardian court.

She hadn’t thought that her second time would be like this… that she’d be with _ Loki _like this!

What was she even thinking? How did she end up like this?

“S-Sire… _ please _,” she cried again, desperate as he kept taking her in drawn-out, long strokes. Her gaze never left his, as if it were locked onto his verdant green eyes.

The moment was hypnotic and very unlike her first time…

She was nearly losing her mind here, for her body was inundated with pleasure, but her thoughts were far afield.

**Loki felt her walls tightening and fluttering around him, his constant, insistent movement ratcheting up her pleasure with slow tempo. He loved how her breath hitched and her throat danced each time he plunged back into her hot center, already so much slicker than when he began. And when her pleading eyes refused to leave his, he knew she was almost there.**

**He expertly angled himself against her g-spot, changing his approach and his speed just enough to surprise her, then with a last forceful thrust, he held himself firm and unmoving within her while his fingers rubbed her clit with enthusiastic abandon.**

**“Come for me, Iona…” he growled, knowing she was already tipping over the edge, but wanting her to believe it was his command giving her that final push into ecstasy. He would imprint the idea that only ** ** _his_ ** ** voice and ** ** _his_ ** ** will would bring about her completion. **

**If he trained her properly, the notion that she could orgasm of her own accord would soon be a lost fantasy.**

**And he ** ** _so _ ** **looked forward to training her properly.**

His command, in that deep, mesmerizing voice… it quite literally compelled her to follow through. She felt the choice slipping away from her… she had no other option but to come.

And so she did, bending to his will like a reed in a gust of wind.

Her eyes fluttered, as did her whole body, and her lips begged again, not knowing what exactly they begged for--his mercy or his torment.

“Please… please, oh, Norns…please.” She almost added the word ‘_ more’ _to her desperate pleas, much to her shame, as she fell apart under him. 

**“‘Please, please, please’...all this begging, Iona. It’s unbecoming of the Allmother. I’ve known you to be much more eloquent than this... Please ** ** _what_ ** **, darling? Tell your king what you want...”**

At first, his voice sounded so distant, for she wasn’t really present in the moment. The pleasure was too much of a distraction to understand what he was saying...

However, as her mind cleared slowly, his words began to register, and a frown came upon her face again. She didn't know what to ask for, just that her body was still coiled like a spring. The tension and pressure he was exerting on her was unrelenting… almost painful.

He was resting so deep inside her--she didn’t know it was possible at all. The invasion had her reeling. He was so big, her body felt like it would snap under his lustful attentions. 

Whimpering, she spread her legs against his hips, moving in a clumsy, unthinking way as he rocked his hips against hers, increasing the pressure on her insides. 

“I… I don’t… don’t know.” She knew nothing… absolutely nothing about what he was doing to her, except that it felt like the most unbearable pleasure ever.

**“Ohhh you poor thing...” he mocked. This was turning out to be more fun than he had expected. He put his hand behind her head, wrapping her hair around his fingers - it was gentle...for now.**

**“Let me help you, my little sweetling. Repeat after me.”**

**Tightening his grip on her hair slightly, just enough to keep her face directed straight ahead and completely at him, he smiled at her.**

**“King Loki, Allfather, my moon and stars...”**

It was humiliating, what he was doing to her, but she found herself repeating his words nonetheless. What else _ could _she do?

"K-King Loki.... Allfather." She shivered as he pulled back slightly and thrust deeply into her channel, pulling a moan from her. "My moon a-and stars...."

**“Good girl...” he praised her as he slowed to a stop, completely filling her again and keeping her impaled on his cock.**

**“‘I beg of you, sire...fuck me again.’”**

She struggled against him restlessly, feeling like she was going to burst.

He was so _ deep _, and unmoving. It was too much for her channel, which was stretched to its very limits.

Another sob escaped her as she tried to repeat his prurient words.

"I beg of you! Sire, f-fuck me again!" She couldn't say the word “_ fuck _” properly, trained as she was as a lady. It was a shock for her to even speak it.

**A low, dark, satisfied chuckle rumbled from his chest, and he began pumping in and out of her. He moved slowly at first, but unstoppingly, consistently, firmly. He used his grip on her hair to keep her positioned where he wanted her, and allowed his forehead to fall to hers, staring deeply into her eyes.**

**“‘Fuck me like the ambitious, wanton whore that I am...’”**

Iona jerked in his grip, her eyes widening.

"Wha-What?" She pressed her palms against his chest, wanting to push him off her.

Those words were most scandalous! She wouldn't… she couldn't….

**"Say it…"**

**Loki picked up the pace. The reptilian side of his brain was taking over. No questions. No resistance. She had been so obedient until now, and she ** ** _would_ ** ** do as he commanded. He thrust hard with each word.**

**“‘FUCK me,’”**

**Again.**

**“‘Like the AMBITIOUS,”**

**Again.**

**“WANTON,”**

**Again.**

**“WHORE,”**

**Again.**

**“That I AM!”**

**He moved his hand between her legs and pinched her clit between his fingers, rolling the pearl around and tugging her engorged nub with exactly the right amount of force**.

“**SAY IT!”**

Iona shrieked, arching against the seat of the throne, shaking her head wildly. She tried to fight him off, to slap his hand away from her sensitive flesh.

"I'm NOT!" Tears ran down her eyes as she struggled against him. "S-Stop it!"

**He growled and pulled her head back, biting hard on her neck and fully pounding her, losing himself. This was his reward, ** ** _his_ ** ** finish, ** ** _his_ ** ** prize…**

**But she wasn’t obeying him anymore...**

** _No....no no no....keep it together..._ **

**His hips seemed to move of their own accord, and her screaming only heightened the almost uncontrollable urge he felt to rend her in twain with his cock.**

** _Slow down...don’t break…stay in control..._ **

**Swallowing hard, he made the monumental effort to stop himself from letting those urges take over. His thrusts became less maddened, he loosened his grip slightly, and he began to push down the manic rage that had almost...** ** _let her disobey him_ ** **.**

**He exhaled heavily, and after a few quiet, unmoving moments, removed himself from her.**

**“I suppose you’re right...” he said softly, sweat beading on his forehead under the golden helm, still struggling to catch his breath, but the threat in his tone remained. “Perhaps you aren’t as deserving of the position of ** ** _Allmother_ ** ** as I had thought...”**

She gasped in horror, her hands scrambling for purchase on the throne.

Anger and fear both rose sharply in her heart as she considered the consequences of what her life would be like if he were to deny her the queenship after putting her through this. Not only would she face the ridicule of the court, she’d also face the disapproval of her exacting parents.

"You c-can't withdraw now!" She stared at him with wide, wet eyes. "Not after claiming me like this! I… I'll be ruined!"

_ Norns! _ She wanted to claw Loki's pretty, cruel face.

**He was immediately nose-to-nose with her, fury flaring in his eyes. As if she were the only one left unsatisfied here…**

**“So. Then. Say. It.”**

Fresh tears flowed down her eyes as she realized that he had all the power in this situation.

She was going to be ruined if she didn't say what he wanted. And he'd like nothing more than that.

Slowly, her trembling lips opened. 

"I'm an ambitious, w-wanton..." She looked away from him. "W-Whore..."

**He turned her face back towards his, practically vibrating with lust and rage and the need to control her. **

**“That’s not right. Say it right. Now.”**

**She had to follow his command ** ** _exactly_ ** **. This was her lesson today, the first of the many trainings he had in mind for her to change her from the sarcastic, rude, ** ** _impudent_ ** ** lady-in-waiting she had been… into his perfect, quiet, ** ** _obedient_ ** ** wife and queen.**

"_ Fuck _ me," she mumbled, gazing into his cruel eyes while her breath stuttered. "Like the a-ambitious, wanton wh-whore that I am."

She closed her eyes as she completed that awful sentence, feeling so much hatred for him… and _ herself _.

**Victory.**

**His chest swelled and he leaned forward, kissing her with all the hate, fury and ** ** _desire_ ** ** he possessed. The lust-laden madness overtook him once more, and he took her almost violently, thrusting like he’d die if he didn’t find sweet relief in her hot pussy RIGHT THIS FUCKING SECOND.**

**He growled and moaned and grunted, losing himself in the overwhelming feeling of everything coming to a head - pumping, groaning, swearing to the Uphiminn as his climax rapidly approached.**

She sobbed again as he renewed the lustful onslaught on her. Even through her hate for him, her body was finding pleasure in his ruthless actions.

Once again, her hands gripped his arms just as he surged inside her and throbbed, his deep growls reverberating in her heart. Norns, she feared he was going to break her with his punishing thrusts.

"Loki, _ p-please _," she could barely blurt out, feeling his teeth digging into her neck as he chased his release. 

Her whimpers and sobs melded into moans of pleasure, just as her body completely gave in and surrendered the fight. His dominating presence, his harsh demands, and his complete sexual possession of her left very little space for her to hide.

Helpless against all the sensations, weighed down by his strength and virility, she clenched around him repeatedly, reaching an intense completion.

Her nails dug ineffectively into his armour, her naked thighs trembled against his leather clad ones while he kept grinding into her, prolonging her peak of pleasure till she nearly lost her grip on consciousness.

**Feeling her walls flutter with orgasm, he let go of that control he’d held so desperately and allowed himself to come; with a final breathy grunt he exploded, filling her with his seed, panting and sweating, his cock twitching as his balls contracted and shot burst after burst of cum into her sensitive tissues.**

**Shuddering as the orgasm tapered into exhausted satisfaction, he let their bodies stay entwined together while he returned to his senses, head swimming with lusty afterglow.**

Iona tried to catch her breath as Loki remained lodged inside her.

Her whole body ached, sure to be marked with bruises from the throne, and from Loki himself. More than that, her psyche felt bruised.

She so badly wished for a soft bed and some healing potions. Perhaps even a memory erasing potion, if that existed...

**After several long minutes, he finally felt the need to move. Straining his tired body, he lifted himself off of her, removing his now-soft cock and pushing it unceremoniously back into his pants. He adjusted his outfit - even corrected his helm, which he noticed was listing ungracefully off to the side - then looked at her again.**

**The feeling he got when he saw her - tear-stained, humiliated, and disheveled - was quite UNLIKE what he’d expected. He didn’t feel powerful, or strong, or manly. He felt....sorry? He blinked, taking her in, and for a brief and unusual moment, he found himself at a loss for words.**

Iona moved the skirts of her dress down her waist, attempting to restore at least some of her modesty.

She didn't look up to meet Loki's gaze, feeling the deep burn of humiliation at what he had made her do.

She tried to get up from the throne, but her legs refused to obey her. A quiet whimper escaped her as her muscles complained. Her aches only multiplied when she tried again.

Norns, this was an insult to injury...

**He bent down to help her stand, recognizing her refusal to look at him.**

**What in the Nine Realms had he just done?**

**Iona had been sarcastic, and rude, and judgmental. She had mocked him - OPENLY - while he was in the dungeons. ** ** _Obviously_ ** ** hated him. And he hated her in return. He had been planning this revenge since he first realized he wouldn’t be going back to that golden prison...the training, the torment, psychologically shaping her until she was as tame as a show horse. His perfect wife.**

**But now...she was just sad, and broken. Her fire was gone. He suddenly realized that her fire and fight was what he ** ** _enjoyed_ ** ** so much about her. That he had ** ** _wanted_ ** ** her to be snarky and snide, to use that razor wit against him, to ** ** _challenge_ ** ** him...**

**Loki felt a pain in his chest. What was meant to be a bit of fun on his part had turned out much differently than he had anticipated...**

Iona silently accepted his help, knowing that she couldn't get up without it.

"Am I allowed to leave now?" she asked in an unsteady, small voice. Her eyes remained downcast. She tried to let go of him and stand on her own, but he wouldn't release her.

For a brief moment, she grew terrified that he wanted more from her.

**He held her, and for the first time in a long while, he didn’t know what to do. He had no plans for this, no ideas of how to deal with her when she wasn’t pushing back...and yet, somewhere in the back of his mind, he also knew he had to maintain his authority.**

**He cleared his throat.**

**“Yes, my dear. You may go. Do you need assistance descending the stairs?” The overly formal sentence tasted like bile in his mouth. What could he do now?**

She frowned at his courtly manner of speaking. Perhaps he was trying to tell her something through it. But she was too worn out to decipher it.

"Yes," she replied, blushing deeply in consternation. 

Taking help from her tormentor was the last thing she wanted to do, but she didn't trust her wobbly legs.

**He led her down the steps slowly, ensuring she had her footing each time before moving forward. He took extreme care with her, treating her like the delicate thing he now saw. **

**Without a word, they reached the bottom of the dais, and after seeing that she could stand on the flat ground, he let her go.**

**“Well then. I will see you at the engagement party tomorrow,” he said. The words were dry as sawdust.**

She nodded and then dipped her head in a customary bow.

Turning around quickly, she left the throne room to go back to her chambers.

Once inside, she locked the doors and wrapped her arms around herself, hot tears brimming in her eyes once again.

She was so furious. _ SO FURIOUS! _

Loki had sealed her fate and there was nothing she could do about it. She'd be married to him soon enough, and then what? What else was he going to do her?

Was he simply going to torment her for millennia? No… she couldn't possibly take it. Moreso, she _hated_ how he had made her enjoy the carnal activities he had foisted on her. For the first time in her life, she had lost her senses to sexual pleasure. It was a disgrace!

Her body was still trembling in the aftermath... 

Slowly, as her thoughts became a bit clearer, she started thinking more shrewdly.

Yes, Loki was going to make her marry him. But then, what else _ could _ he do? Once married, getting rid of her would be nigh impossible. 

She'd be queen, and she'd have her privileges. Even if she couldn't challenge him directly, she'd have subtle ways to get back at him.

For now, she would remain docile and cowed, to show him that she had surrendered…

After the wedding, however, she'd surely make his life an image of Helheim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this chapter was longer than usual, and _very_ intense. It was a ride and a half as an RP.  
We hope that you liked it. Do share your thoughts in the comments. We craaave them.


	4. Pastry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the day of the betrothal ceremony and Iona is pretty nervous about it. Will it go smoothly or will Loki create more problems for her?

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

_ (The Next Day) _

**Loki’s attendants scurried around him, adjusting his garments, attaching armor, and preparing him for his betrothal ceremony. He hadn’t seen Iona since yesterday, and he would have been lying to himself if he said he wasn't just the smallest bit nervous.**

**He’d had a lot of time to think about what had happened the day before and how he felt about it. Now that he wasn’t staring into her tear-stained, terribly sad face, he no longer felt as unsure as he’d been following their tryst in the throne room.**

**Had he pushed her too far in demanding her obedience? Her strict obedience, down to the word?**

**Perhaps… but she needed to understand her place, and the role she was meant to play. And he would ** ** _enjoy_ ** ** training her… but certainly with more tact in the future.**

**He fidgeted slightly as the layers of garments were applied, until he could delay no longer. Grabbing the Gungnir, he headed from his quarters towards the throne room, where the engagement celebrations were already beginning, ready to show Iona - and everyone - what it meant for the Allfather to choose his Queen.**

Iona had been up since early morning, knowing that attendants would be sent to prepare her for the betrothal ceremony.

She had tried to hide all the marks Loki had left on her body, especially her neck, lest the attendants saw them and began gossiping.

It had been an arduous task, but she was able to cover up most of them. Make-up equipment from at least five realms was utilised.

Her nerves wouldn't let her sit still, though. Thoughts about Loki and his wily ways were troubling her. Not to mention, his sheer animalistic carnality scared her.

So when the attendants arrived to prepare her, she was glad for the distraction.

Soon, she had been dressed in the finery of a princess, her hair done in intricate braids that fell past her waist. A jewel-encrusted tiara was set on her head, completing the look.

When it was announced that the king was ready at the entrance to the throne room, she was escorted there without delay.

A sense of deja vu overtook her as she reached the gigantic doors. Loki stood there, looking majestic and intimidating in his ceremonial armour, his helm glinting in the firelight.

_ That  _ was going to be her husband in a few short months...  _ Norns help her. _

Iona walked up to him in measured steps, doing what was expected of her despite her nerves. 

**When he laid eyes on her, unexpectedly, he lost his breath for a moment. For as long as he had known her, she had worn the simple, elegant garb of the Queen’s ladies, but ** ** _today_ ** ** \- today she was royalty. Bedecked in his colors of gold and green, she seemed to float across the floor in the ornate gown; poised, sophisticated, ** ** _proper_ ** **. Exactly as she had been raised to be; exactly as expected.**

**She was perfect.**

**But he only allowed himself to indulge in her for a moment, then he closed his eyes, took a breath, and became the Allfather.**

**He stepped into view of the party guests, and a fanfare of horns erupted. Regally, he walked forward, a confident, royal smile spread across the gorgeous young king’s face, and as he reached the center of the landing, he looked to her and extended his hand.**

**His expression radiated love so genuine, even his mother would have been fooled.**

As she walked towards Loki, Iona was overwhelmed by the crowd that had gathered in the throne room for the ceremony. She wondered what might be the scene of the wedding, if the betrothal was being treated with so much pomp and pageantry.

Personally, she didn't like crowds. Even more so when the crowd's focus was on her. She felt more self-conscious than ever.

When Loki presented his hand to her, she took it graciously, as was expected from her. His touch made her shiver, her body remembering how he had held her yesterday. 

How he had tried to destroy her dignity… and how she had surrendered to him.

Still, she tamped down her ire and fear, and acted like a nervous, blushing bride-to-be. She had a role to play in front of all these people, after all.

Together, they both walked down the aisle and towards the throne... the same throne where he had ravished her.

Her blush deepened as she looked at it, the memories assaulting her immediately.

**Loki leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Don’t worry, sweetling. The ceremony will be over quickly. I can’t stand these dreary affairs...”**

**And just like that, it indeed was. Loki thanked the officiant, the families, the queen mother, and everyone in attendance.**

**“Now please, enjoy our hospitality! Eat, drink, and help us celebrate the beginning of our lives...together.” He turned to her, staring affectionately into her eyes, breaking into a beautiful smile that could have actually been authentic.**

**Then, he led Iona to the huge main table at the bottom of the dais, and the feast began.**

She put a fixed smile on her face as he led her down the dais the same way he had done yesterday. From here, she could see the familiar faces of her parents, the queen mother, and her other ladies-in-waiting.

Most of those ladies had known about the shared disdain that Loki and Iona held for each other. Hence, a few of them were looking at the couple with doubt and confusion. Iona tried her best to evade their questioning gaze. 

The engagement and all the arrangements around it had been handled by Loki, and no doubt, it was all done in haste. Or mayhap Iona was the last to know of it?

The thought disturbed her…

Reaching the high table, she let him pull her chair out for her as he pretended to be a gentleman for the benefit of the onlookers. She thanked him and smiled wider, grasping his forearm as he settled into his own chair.

**He merely blinked at her in response, hiding his surprise well. Then, he pulled her hand from his vambrace and brought it to his lips. The kiss was lingering and sensual, and all the while Loki maintained eye contact with her. **

His lips were soft and gentle against her knuckles, almost wickedly inviting. As their eyes met, she could detect a latent hunger in his gaze, and it made her blush furiously. 

_ Norns, he was evil... _

To distract herself from his hungry gaze, she started engaging other people at the table in inane conversations. She wasn’t fond of the small-talk, but she was an expert at it.

Gently, she pulled her hand away from his grip and instead thought to offer him some of the delicacies that were being served. She took one of the bite-sized pieces of honey bread and brought it to his lips, trying her best to return his well-honed loving gaze.

**She was performing beautifully.**

**Even ** ** _he _ ** **had to admit he was impressed by her ability to ‘fake it’ in social settings. She made all the right moves, knew all the etiquette, spoke demurely and thanked the guests graciously for their well-wishes. No sulking or crying or making scene based on their past interaction.**

**He ** ** _knew _ ** **she was a good selection. **

**But when she brought that piece of honey bread to his lips...** ** _Norns_ ** **.**

**His cock sprang to attention faster than a territorial bilgesnipe detecting a trespasser. He thanked whatever cosmic powers were still on his side that he was sitting, able to hide what that simple gesture did to him.**

**And the ** ** _look _ ** **she gave him - charming, loving, endearing. With just the most subtle sheen of absolute hate and desire for vengeance. No one else could have seen it but him.**

**His cock twitched again. That look was going to be the end of him, giving him urges to make ** ** _bad _ ** **decisions in the future. He had to keep himself controlled.**

**Loki nipped her fingertips playfully as he took the bread, chuckling flirtatiously.**

A small gasp escaped her as he nipped at her fingers, bringing a rush of heat to her face. Norns, why did that affect her so, bringing her baser urges to the fore?

Also, would she ever stop blushing in his presence? This was preposterous!

She pressed her thighs together to relieve some of her tension as she pulled her hand away from him.

Suddenly, she wasn't feeling all that brave.

She reached for a pastry next, wanting to eat something herself, for she had been starved since morning. He, however, blocked her way and nudged her hand away.

She gave him a covertly annoyed look, silently questioning him.

**He locked his gaze on her, for the first time noticing how beautifully her amber eyes lit up in the firelight of the feast, practically swimming with honey-colored flecks of gold. His heart skipped a beat.**

** _Stop it, _ ** **he chastised himself, and he picked up the pastry she had been reaching for, gently raising it for her to bite.**

**And right when her mouth was open, eyes half-closed and ready to indulge in the delicate treat...**

**He pushed the pastry into her face, smearing it on her playfully. He and everyone who witnessed it laughed and cheered at the lovers’ prank. He took his napkin, smiling, and began to reach forward as if to clean her, but at the last second he turned his face and licked up the side of her cheek, taking a generous amount of the pastry with him.**

**Then, with a cheerfully malicious grin, he started to clean her off** .

Iona tried her best to hide her consternation with a smile and a giggle.

Beneath the table, she grabbed his thigh and dug her nails into it.

**Loki caught the yelp of surprise before it left his throat, but his widening eyes and look of amused fury… well, ** ** _that _ ** **he couldn’t cover up. He was finding this subversive play with her ** ** _delightful_ ** **. As best as he could, he eyed her salaciously and held her hand on his thigh… then began moving it upwards...**

Iona tried to pull her hand back, utterly scandalized by his behaviour.

Someone on the left side of the table - a noblewoman from the valley district - tried to engage her in conversation, and she had to entertain her. All the while Loki pulled her hand towards his crotch.

Once it was on his manhood, she was surprised to discover that it was already hard and straining. She dug her nails into it as well, like a feral cat.

"Excuse me, I must visit the ladies' room to clean up," she said suddenly, just as he shifted in his seat and let go of her hand.

She got up and made for the ladies' room to hide for a while.

**As she was walking away, Loki sent a small burst of seidr toward her - a gust of wind that ** ** _just so happened _ ** **to lift her skirts for a brief moment. He watched her, more entertained than he’d been in ages by her trying to maintain her composure and dignity against his mischief.**

**And she would lose. He was the God of it, after all.**

Iona hid in the ladies' room and tried her best to clean the sticky pastry remnants from her face and chest.

Loki was such a cad! He couldn't leave her be even on this day.

She was honestly going kick him between his legs the next time he tried to be so smugly salacious.

**Loki remained at the table for several more minutes, chatting with the men around him on the usual topics of fighting, carousing, women, and alcohol-fueled adventures. Fandral. in particular, was well into his fourth or fifth horn of mead, and while he regaled the others with some story of philandering and womanizing, Loki took his leave.**

**As he carefully made his way to the ladies’ room, his entire body began to shimmer in gold...his shape began to change - slightly shorter, much curvier, longer hair that turned blond as it grew, eyes shifting from green to brown. And finally, his royal clothing reduced to hardly more than an upscale servant’s garb.**

**Her transformation was complete by the time she reached the threshold and saw Iona cleaning the last of the pastry from her mahogany hair.**

**“A thousand pardons, your majesty - I mean, your ladyship...I mean...um...do you need any assistance?”**

**Her mousy voice quivered with nerves as she closed the door behind her.**

Iona turned around to look at the servant girl, sighing in relief.

"Oh, thank you, I could certainly use some help." She gestured to her dress. "Can you please loosen the bodice of the dress? I need to clean the sticky mess from my bosom as well. The pastry crumbs fell through my neckline."

She gave the girl a sheepish smile as she approached her.

**“Of course, my lady.”**

**Humbly, the servant girl approached and expertly began to untie the strings of Iona’s bodice, careful not to pinch her delicate skin in any of the grommets on her dress.**

**“My lady, if it’s not too forward of me… may I ask how this happened? I just came from the kitchens, and I heard there was a bit of a row, but...well, I’m not well liked by the other servants and no one will tell me...”**

Iona immediately felt bad for the girl. She looked at her through the large mirror in the room. She was such an unassuming little thing. Why would anyone treat her badly?

"Well, it wasn't a row." Iona blushed -  _ again  _ \- as she tried to explain the pastry mashing event. "The king, well, he's very playful and mischievous. He was feeding me a pastry, and it was very rich in cream... he thought it appropriate humour to feed me the whole of it in one go. And now you can see the result."

She didn't want to badmouth the king to his subjects, so she had slightly amended the story.

The girl nodded as she loosened her bodice. But she opened the strings all the way, making the dress nearly fall apart at her breasts. 

Iona clutched it to her chest and tried not to act too self-conscious as she began to rub a wet towel to her breasts.

“ **Oh, my lady, please, allow me.”**

**She walked around to Iona’s front and carefully began to wipe the cream and pastry bits from her with the wet cloth, though she went rather more slowly than necessary. In fact, she seemed determined to do the most thorough job of cleaning the swells of Iona’s breasts and removing every trace of the sugary treat from her collarbones. She even went so far as to reach between Iona’s breasts to retrieve a piece that had fallen there.**

**She worked in silence, though occasionally those little brown eyes would flash up to look at Iona’s face, then quickly return to her work.**

**After a few minutes, it seemed the pastry bits were entirely gone, but the servant girl continued working, sliding the cloth almost dreamily across Iona’s skin.**

"That's quite enough, dear," Iona said, her voice faltering as the girl now brushed the wet cloth against her nipples. "I think I'm clean enough."

She grasped her hand and pulled it out of her bodice.

"Will you please tighten the laces now?"

**The shy girl swallowed hard.**

**“Um… well… you see, my lady… I… was rather hoping...”**

**A furious bright red blush crossed her cheeks. “Oh, I’m so sorry! I just… You’re so very ** ** _lovely_ ** **, and...”**

**With a quick, almost terrified glance up, she went onto her tiptoes and kissed Iona on the lips.**

Iona jerked back against the mirror, staring at the girl in shock.

"You cannot do this!" she cried, clutching her dress to her bosom. "You know that I'm engaged to the king, and you'd be executed for daring to kiss me. Please tie my laces up and leave."

She was breathing heavily now, terrified, but also, very flattered that the girl thought her lovely. She could've very well smacked her upside the head, but violence against the servants wasn't in her habits.

**“Oh please!” The girl was crying now. “It was the ** ** _king_ ** **, my lady! He told me to come in here and...and...and he said if I wasn’t able to seduce you, I would be sent to Jotunheim!”**

**Then, she back-pedaled. “But...I have always thought you were so beautiful, even as a lady-in-waiting. He...he said I must tell him what we did, and that I had his permission to do whatever you allowed! And if he wasn’t satisfied with my effort, I would be punished!”**

**She was very nearly cowed by humiliation now, but her bright little eyes were pleading. Pleading Iona to allow her to follow the King’s command...**

Iona's eyes widened as she listened to the girl, growing concerned for and protective of her. 

She grasped her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. 

"Listen girl, nothing will happen to you. I promise. I will go and talk to the king myself. This is no way to treat a servant! You'll go back and do your work in the kitchens, and come meet me in the night. I'll add you to my retinue of personal staff." With that, she let go of her hand. "Now tie my laces up so that I can head out and confront the king about all of this."

**She walked around behind Iona and began to lace up her dress again, fingers moving deftly.**

**“Thank you, my lady. Oh thank you! The king can be so, so ** ** _horrible_ ** **! How can you stand it?”**

Iona sighed heavily, wanting to share her burden with the girl but at the same time, knowing that it was improper to do so. She couldn't just criticize the king like that.

"He has a penchant for mischief, that's all. I'm sure he was just seeking a laugh out of this situation, and he wouldn’t have punished you."

At least, Iona was trying to tell herself that Loki wouldn't be so cruel to a poor servant girl. 

"He just has a strange sense of humour, and I suppose I've come to understand and embrace it," she explained, lying through her teeth.

**Finishing her task, she helped Iona adjust the dress and her hair until it all looked perfect once again. But she lingered just a moment longer. A look of concern crossed her face.**

**“Are you certain, my lady, there is nothing you wish to say to unburden yourself? I just...I can see how it pains you, to keep this constant appearance of formality. I promise to tell no one - I keep to myself, and I have no friends to speak of. Please, if it will help ease your mind, I’m happy to listen to your troubles. It is the least I can do.”**

**With a sparkling, genuine look of care, she smiled sweetly. “To repay you for your kindness.”**

Iona shook her head and cupped her cheek, smiling back at her. 

"You're a dear heart, but no. I'm not supposed to share things that are between me and my would-be husband. I do love him, that's why I'm marrying him. But your concern is very endearing. There's nothing to repay. I only acted in good faith." She patted her cheek and then pulled away. "My offer to you still stands. Join me as my personal servant, and I promise to you that nothing bad will befall you."

With that, she turned around and headed for the door.

**“Well, well, well...I ** ** _am_ ** ** impressed.”**

**That was DEFINITELY not the servant’s voice. But it was very, ** ** _very_ ** ** familiar to Iona.**

**Loki stayed in the girl’s form, but her voice - and her demeanour - changed. A wily smirk crossed the formerly-humble-and-nervous face, looking dissonant against the soft features. She raised a haughty eyebrow, in the way only the King of Asgard could do.**

**“I ** ** _knew_ ** ** you were the right choice...”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!**  
Hope you enjoyed this treat from us. Loki certainly enjoyed his trick.  

> 
> Let us know what you thought of the chapter in the comments. Bless you all!


	5. Reward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki's mischief knows no bounds.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

Iona turned around and clutched her heart, which was thudding against her rib-cage as her adrenaline surged.

"Loki?!" She stared at the form of the servant girl in horror, understanding slowly washing over her. "Why?!"

She stumbled away and pressed her back against the door, eyeing her - _ HIM _\- with distrust.

**She spread her arms and chuckled deeply, the unsettling noise resonating in a way that should have been impossible coming from that small frame. She began sauntering toward Iona, every mannerism obviously the king’s.**

**“Oh, so MANY reasons, dear one. First and foremost - for the sheer fun of it. Never underestimate my desire for pure, unbridled entertainment, Iona. I’m so easily bored… especially while I was locked away in the dungeons. Or, I should say, I ****_was_****, until** **you and your acidic little comments piqued my interest. And now I’m making up for lost time, so to speak. So, that, certainly, was the primary motivation.”**

**She was right in front of her, shorter than her, but looking up with all the confidence of the God of Mischief.**

**“And second, to test you. To see if my mother’s faith in your discretion was well-placed. And I must say, bravo. You’re almost as good at maintaining your ruse as I am. Almost.”**

**Loki got up on her tiptoes to be eye-level with her, those brown eyes hooded lustfully.**

**“And finally...to see if you had any physical interest in the fairer sex. Which...” Her voice changed back to the servant's voice, mousy and quiet, and her eyes went wide and doe-like. “I believe, if I may say so, my lady, you very well may.”**

Iona gazed at Loki with suspicion and uncertainty, feeling rather exposed in the wake of his claim. 

"I didn't kiss you, _ you _kissed me," she muttered, her hand subconsciously clutching her breast. 

There was no way in Helheim that she was going to tell Loki about her interest in women. He would only ridicule her for it. In all honesty, she had indeed been drawn towards the servant girl's persona. Now, knowing that it was _ Loki _made her all the more skittish.

"Are you quite done having your fun at my expense? I suggest that we both head back to the high table."

**Loki simply grinned, her gaze flicking from Iona’s beautiful, confused, frightened eyes to her still-heaving bosom.**

**“There’s no rush, darling. If anything, I’m sure our guests will draw their own conclusions as to why both of us have been absent for such a long period of time. My reputation tends to precede me in these matters.”**

**She slid her hands over Iona’s hips and pressed her body to the soon-to-be queen’s. “And it wasn’t the kiss that gave you away, Iona. It was the way your breathing changed when I was… gently cleaning these beautiful breasts of yours.”**

Iona held her breath as Loki's hands slowly slid up her body. The sensation was different, but the feeling the touch invoked was the same as when he had touched her in the throne room.

"Loki... what are you trying to do?" she murmured. She was breathing heavily now, and there was a tell-tale wetness between her legs.

**Loki nuzzled Iona’s neck, taking in the lovely floral scent of her mahogany hair.**

**“I wanted to reward you. For being so loyal to me and not revealing my secrets when tempted.”**

**She licked Iona’s earlobe and smiled against her when the girl shivered at her touch. **

**“You are just so responsive...and alluring, miss Iona...”**

**Loki intentionally kept her voice high and meek, almost a nervous whisper, playing the role of the innocent-but-curious servant girl to see if Iona would play along...or if she would stop her.**

Iona gasped as Loki continued to toy with her, keeping his garb of the innocent servant girl. Her petite frame shouldn't have been able to, but still managed to press her against the smooth walls of the ladies' room.

"Stop this charade, sire," she stated in annoyance, even though her utterly confused body refused to fight back. "Do you ever tire of playing these evil games?"

**“** ** _Never_ ** **...” her voice went dark for a split second, and Loki reveled in the dissonance between what Iona said and how her body reacted.**

**“I find...I can’t seem to help myself around you, my lady...”**

**Her fingers squeezed and searched Iona’s body, surreptitiously undoing the threads of her dress with seidr as she went along, gently groping her somewhat resistant fiancé. Iona’s dress very gradually began to loosen, and Loki was careful to make it as imperceptible as possible.**

**“Far be it for me to hope one such as yourself might allow me to… show my appreciation for your good deeds...”**

Without meaning to, Iona's hands came to rest on her shoulders as she touched her with intimate knowledge.

"At least take y-your true form," she griped, eyes widening as she suddenly felt her touch on her bare skin. "What are you doing?! I'll never be able to meet this girl's eyes!"

**“How is that ** ** _my_ ** ** problem?” Loki chuckled in a whisper, then she took a step back and turned her face upward, really rather enjoying being a bit shorter than Iona.**

**“My lady, have you never seen me as more than just a servant?” She brought her hands to her own breasts and grabbed them firmly, closing her eyes and exhaling with a shuddering breath. Loki was ** ** _loving_ ** ** putting on a bit of a show for her. “I’ve thought of you in the privacy of my own quarters...how soft and beautiful you are...what I could do to you if ever given the chance...”**

**Then, she slowly pulled the lacing from her own bodice and let her breasts fall out of the garment. She brought a single finger to the corner of her mouth, and in false surprise, giggle-whispered.**

**“Oops...”**

**Circling another finger around one of her nipples, she watched Iona with hooded eyelids.**

**“If my secrets are safe with you...surely your secrets are safe with me as well...”**

"For shame, Loki!" Iona trembled... with rage and arousal, _both._ Her eyes were glued to her breasts, but still, she thought it violative of the girl's privacy. This was all so very confusing! She felt like a guilty party here...

"This is too much! I... I'm not playing this filthy game!"

She turned around but stopped before stepping towards the door.

Looking back at Loki, she spoke in an accusative tone. "Why do you know _ her _form so well? Have you bedded her? Played with her like you're playing with me now?"

**The briefest flash of hurt tainted the girl’s expression for just a moment, but she quickly covered it with a snarking grin.**

**“Why Iona...are you jealous? Curious? Intrigued?” With each word, she stepped closer, until her hand came to rest on Iona’s hip once more. Loki let a few more of the threads loosen in Iona’s dress...if she moved even a bit now, the entire garment would fall apart at the seams...**

"Do not pretend to know me!" she cried, offended and absolutely incensed by his remarks. “And change your form right this instant! This has gone too far.”

She wanted to slap that smugness off Loki's - _ borrowed _\- face.

**Loki grinned and stepped away, jumping up and sitting on the counter near the sink. With one last wink, she shimmered gold, completely changing shape… back to Loki. King Loki. **

**He lounged with his back against the mirror, one leg pulled up against his chest while the other dangled lazily off the edge of the counter. **

**“There, is ** ** _that_ ** ** better?”**

Just as she moved to confront him, her whole dress fell off her shoulders in strips of fine cloth. Including her underclothes.

Shrieking in surprise, she instinctively tried to cover up her nakedness with her bare hands, keenly aware of Loki's eyes on her.

"Wha-! What did you do?!"

**He laughed heartily, but he kept his distance, in part to take in the view of his handiwork, but also...being the servant girl had allowed him to be bolder, and he was more hesitant in his masculine body.**

**He still felt a pang of guilt for yesterday, when he had practically forced himself on her in the throne room. He figured she might panic if he got any closer in this form.**

Iona managed as much of a glare at him as she could, given her circumstances. Quickly, she wrapped a strip of what was left of her dress around herself to cover the essential parts. It'd do for now.

"I'm not sure if it's better or worse, considering that you just destroyed my dress," she muttered, standing against the wall demurely. "I'd love to see you in the same situation. We'll see then how much it pleases you."

She then noticed something change in his demeanour... a subtle shift. He almost looked a bit uneasy, as if he wasn't comfortable being in his own form in front of her. Was that... _ guilt _in his eyes?

That observation made her feel a bit braver. Hence, she stepped closer to him, regarding him with deliberately narrowing eyes. 

"Are you going to hang on the stone counter all day, sire? I must say, your servant girl persona was much more plucky," she said acerbically, resting her hip on the counter's edge as she watched him feign playfulness**.**

**Loki smirked and narrowed his eyes in return, then changed again, putting just the servant girl’s face on his body.**

**“Is this what you’re looking for?” he challenged her, keeping a ** ** _very_ ** ** Loki-like expression on the different face. After seeing her shocked and disgusted look, he laughed and changed back.**

**Norns, but she was a pain in the ass.**

**“Can you make up your mind, Iona? Just accept the fact that you enjoy this teasing and banter. I certainly do. And my goodness woman, if you want something from me… come and get it.”**

**He settled back on the counter further, daring her to approach him.**

**With a suggestive lift of his eyebrow, he added, “I promise it will be worth your while. But I’ve decided I don’t want to be as forward with you as I was yesterday. Take that however you like.”**

"That's so _ easy _for you to say now," she said, recalling how roughly he had treated her the day before. It sent a shiver down her spine, though, the man in front of her seemed somewhat different than the one who had taken her in the throne room. “It doesn't change what happened yesterday. And I'm not the fickle one here, sire. I'm merely trying to keep up with you. I don't know what you want from me, or what you wish to give me for my discretion. I wasn't expecting anything from it, that's just how I'm supposed to be... as your wife and queen."

What did he even want from her? He was just confusing her with his false joviality and his sudden deference to ethics.

She turned her head towards the door as she heard a few people pass it by, reminding her where they were. Sighing uncomfortably, she turned back to face him.

"My dress, I... I can't head back like this." Shivering, she felt his eyes going down her body again as she mentioned her lack of clothes. "If you're quite done with your little game, can you please restore it?"

**He flinched slightly when she called him “sire.” Had they not been familiar enough for her to just call him “Loki”? She ** ** _was_ ** ** going to be his wife, after all...**

**Maybe she needed some motivation… to scream it out...**

** _No_ ** **... he stopped himself. ** ** _Not again, not now._ ** ** There would be plenty of time for ** ** _that _ ** **in the future.**

**He watched her for just a moment longer, wondering if she would change her mind, give in to her desires, and make a move while they were in this fun little situation… then sighed as she remained at a distance.**

**“Very well,” he said, and with a flick of his wrist, the strips of fabric wrapped themselves around her and took their form as her dress again. He smiled sadly at her look of relief, then almost as an afterthought, he materialized a golden bracelet on her wrist.**

**It was delicate and elegant, a snake eating its own tail, with emerald eyes shining in the flickering light of the torches.**

**“I suppose that will have to suffice for your reward. I had hoped to give you something much more _memorable_** **, but you don’t seem to be in the mood for such a thing. So go on. I’ll be out in a few moments - we wouldn’t want the rumor mill to churn quite so quickly now, would we?”**

Iona admired the bracelet closely, turning it around on her wrist. It was a beautifully carved piece, and she did have a weakness for jewelry...

Damn him for enticing her like this.

"Thank you," she said slowly, a smile forming on her lips as she looked up at him. "It is very pretty. I do love snakes and the Ouroboros symbol."

Quickly, before she could think twice about it, she leaned over the counter and grabbed his hand, giving his knuckles a quick kiss. And then she dashed out of the ladies' room to head back to the feast.

At least, she assumed, that token of affection ought to be enough to keep him guessing about her thoughts towards him…

**Loki waited long enough for her to reach the feast table once again. Then he stood, stretched (readjusting to his natural height - it did take a moment to re-orient after shape shifting), and began the incantation that would activate the magic in the bracelet.**

**“Oh, Iona,” he said to himself as the spell was completed. She should be feeling it any moment now. “To think, you still believe I’d let you off that easily...”**

**He checked himself in the mirror one more time - each hair in place, every piece of clothing perfect - before pulling his helm from thin air and placing it back on his head.**

**He left the ladies’ room once he was sure the coast was clear, then took a ** ** _very_ ** ** leisurely pace back to the feast. He wanted that spell to be in full effect before he returned to Iona’s side...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? Another treat for you all!  
We hope you enjoyed it. <3  



	6. Needs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poor Iona suffers through a strange ordeal while Loki's trick with the bracelet comes to fruition.  


**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

Iona was... _ not _feeling normal.

Her head was swimming with prurient thoughts, and they weren’t stopping no matter how much she tried to quell them. Lust and arousal were at the fore of the sensations she was feeling. 

She had been perfectly fine only minutes ago. What was this nonsense?

Had someone put something in the food? That seemed nigh impossible, for everyone was partaking in the same fare as her. And no one seemed to be shaking with arousal.

Her eyes narrowed imperceptibly as she saw Loki walking back to the high table, back to his usual sauntering. 

A very strong wave of arousal hit her just as he took his seat beside her, smiling at everyone at the table and taking her hand in his. He glanced at her briefly, and she couldn't decipher anything in his eyes. They were closed off, _ guarded _.

Here she was, gripping the seat of her chair with one hand and clutching his hand in a death-grip with the other, not to mention, biting her lip to maintain a calm demeanour... and her would-be husband was acting like nothing was wrong with her.

From her centuries worth of tolerating his tricks, she knew where this sudden bout of lust was coming from. That damned bracelet. 

Quickly, she pulled her hand from his and tried to take the offending piece of jewelry off. It didn't come off, as though it was adhered to her skin.

Anger mixed with lust now, creating a very volatile combination inside her head. 

Norns, she was going to _ kill _ him…

Her hand reached for his again, and this time she dug her nails into his palm like a vicious feline, wanting to draw blood.

**It took all of Loki’s masterfully honed willpower - fine-tuned by centuries of experience - to keep from letting the wellspring of mischievous excitement at Iona’s flustered state show on his countenance.**

**He was controlled, calm, kingly. He paid her as much consideration as was appropriate. But in those furtive moments when she glared at him like she might stab him in the throat with one of the many silver knives on the table, he simply smiled pleasantly, then turned his attention back to another conversation.**

**Her nails were digging into his palm, and he let her. He wanted to feel her struggling. Wanted to know how her “progress” was coming along.**

**With any luck, it would be ** ** _very_ ** ** drawn out, possibly even lasting the rest of the feast. Though if she were this worked up already, it might not take as much time as he’d hoped...**

**As she turned to look at him, her expression full of fury and nervous desperation, he gave her one of the most blatant shit-eating grins he’d ever given anyone, stood up, and gently clinked his spoon against his glass. **

**The room went silent.**

**“Ladies and gentlemen, my beautiful betrothed has told me she would like to propose a toast!”**

Iona's eyes widened as he made that announcement. 

_ No... no no no! _

She was not sure she could even stand straight, let alone make a toast. And everyone, _ everyone _was staring at her now. So much for not attracting any attention to herself while she fell apart!

Dabbing her face with a napkin, she tried her best to stand up, leaning against the table for support. Her hands were trembling with the effort to maintain the air of calmness. Obviously, she was unsuccessful in doing so, for people had begun to frown at her odd actions.

She looked at Loki and gave him a smile that was too wide and too intense for there to be any good humour in it. It probably made her look crazed and unstable.

Yet another wave of arousal washed over her then, making her clit throb intensely, as if there was a ghostly finger rubbing against it. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Only a moan did. A loud, long moan… 

Her cheeks turned red and she faltered, swaying against the table. 

"Oh Norns!" she cried, thinking at the last moment to throw herself at Loki, making sure that her adorned wrist connected harshly with his crotch. "I don't feel well!"

Just as she fell against his front, taking him down with her, she had an intense, white-hot orgasm. She panted against his neck, muffling her moans into his lapels as best as she could. 

**“My dear?” Loki caught her shaking body, holding her close as she rode out her orgasm. Her ** ** _first_ ** ** orgasm, he reminded himself, already giddy with anticipation for the ones that would follow… and that's when she hit him in the family jewels. His eyes went wide and glassy, and his subversive chuckle became a pained grunt followed by an almost comically high-pitched, wheezing moan. Then they ** ** _both_ ** ** went down.**

**The room exploded with gasps and screams. All the nobles went into an uproar. Attendants swarmed Loki and Iona, trying to help them both and near panicking that the two most important people at the feast had just collapsed in front of them.**

**He could even hear the concerned cry of his mother, asking if Iona was alright.**

**Despite the pain he was in, Loki couldn’t keep himself from laughing amidst the chaos. Iona was near-incapacitated from a very public magical orgasm, the attendees were squawking like parrots, the servants were frantically trying to figure out what to do...**

**This was ** ** _better_ ** ** than he could have hoped!**

**He leaned down to his sweating, panting fiancé, and took her hand while whispering quietly, voice still strained from the throbbing pain in his crotch. “You’re not done, sweetling; you’ve got plenty more coming. The question is - would you like to have them here, or back in my chambers?”**

She moaned again as another flush of magic induced pleasure affected her. Her eyes nearly rolled back. She hardly noticed the chaos around them. Nothing really mattered, except that she wanted to be rid of this desperate feeling in her body to keep _ coming_.

"I h-hate you," she whispered back at him, grasping his shoulders. "Y-Your chambers... not here. _ Please _."

**Loki grinned like a cat that just ate the canary. “Of course, dear,” he said, then he spoke loudly enough so that the crazed servants and attendees took a step back.**

**“Excuse us, it appears we will need to take our leave a bit early. My betrothed is suffering from a case of the ** ** _vapours_ ** **.” It took every ** ** _ounce_ ** ** of his self-control to keep from doubling over laughing as he explained Iona’s condition. “Please, continue to enjoy the feast on our behalf! Have a wonderful evening. Goodbye, yes, goodbye, goodnight...”**

**He led her away from the feast, brushing off all well-wishers and worried servants as he hurried them back to his room, feeling her leaning on him and desperately trying to keep her groans of pleasure from being heard.**

**Finally, they arrived in his chambers. He closed the bedroom door, then let her go as she stumbled to the bed, bent over and still shaking like someone had their mouth attached to her aroused centre.**

**Which… actually, that was exactly what it was supposed to feel like.**

**He couldn’t hold it in anymore. He literally slumped to the ground against the door and laughed. And laughed and laughed and laughed.**

**“Oh, _NORNS,_**** Iona! That was—that was the ** ** _best_ ** ** ceremony I’ve attended in centuries! You hit me in the _balls_****!? Well done, sweetling!”**

**He was so taken with glee he hardly acknowledged that she was still in the throes of overwhelming sexual stimulation as his laughter overtook him.**

Iona moaned helplessly, kicking her legs about as another orgasm tore through her. His words barely registered in her mind. The cold satin sheets were a blessing against her heated forehead as she panted away, cursing him to Helheim and back.

He was going to be the death of her!

"You deserved it," she finally mumbled as the orgasm ebbed, though it didn't leave her fully. "I'd punch you... Oh _ Norns _ !" Far too soon, the pleasure began to rise again. "I’ll _ kick _ you in the _ stones _ for this! Repeatedly!"

**His cheeks and stomach were aching from his laughter now, tears of joy streaming down his face. Each time he thought he could stop, his eyes would land on her--squirming and moaning with pleasure--and it would start up again.**

**“I--ha! Iona, I most certainly ** ** _would _ ** **deserve it! And it was ** ** _worth_ ** ** it, every bit of it. Ha! This is the most fun I’ve had since I turned Thor into a frog!”**

**He brought himself to his feet and walked over to her, placing a gentle hand on her back and leaning over to whisper in her ear.**

**“Would you like my help, sweetling? The spell will continue until you orgasm from physical stimulation, so...”**

**Of course, he ** ** _didn’t_ ** ** mention that the stimulation couldn’t be self-induced. Eventually, she would have to beg him to help her, or she would have to wait for the spell to wear off on its own, which could take _hours_****...**

**Either way, he was happy, but he decided to let her give it a go first; he was an unabashed voyeur, and this was the perfect opportunity to watch her pleasure herself.**

She turned around and gave him a look of uncertainty, while her body still heaved with an impending orgasm. Well, she had little choice here. She knew that he wasn’t going to relent and let her go just like that.

"You're evil," she muttered as her trembling hands tried to pull her skirts up. 

All the thoughts of propriety and demureness were gone from her mind now. She simply wanted relief... 

And so she slipped her hand under her dress and tried to stroke herself to completion. She began panting again with the effort, but the damned fingers just weren't effective enough.

She moaned again, this time in frustration, knowing full well that her betrothed was watching her and enjoying the show. 

_ Bastard _...

**He smirked and lifted an eyebrow, elated by watching her struggle.**

**“Having trouble, my dear?” he simpered, though he made no move to aid her. He was in no hurry for this to end...**

She removed her fingers from her slick centre and glared at him. "Stop this!"

A low growl escaped her as her body neared yet another orgasm. Damnit, it wouldn't count, for it wasn't happening because of her fingers.

"Loki, make it stop, I can't take it anymore!" she cried, arching her back as the waves of pleasure overcame her again. "You can't just... keep making me come like this! I'll die!"

Inherently, she knew she wouldn't die, but at this point, she knew nothing of the ridiculousness of her claim.

**He sat on the bed, back resting against several pillows on the headboard, and he patted the mattress between his legs. **

**“Shhhhhh. Come here, darling. I’ll make it all better for you. Just lean back against me, and let me take care of the rest.”**

**The raging erection that tented the front of his breeches seemed almost as inviting as it was threatening. His green eyes watched her with mirth--so disheveled and needy and flushed--as he waited for her to climb up the bed to him.**

Near delirious with the never ending orgasms, she did as he asked, crawling up the bed laboriously. Her legs trembled with the effort, for yet another peak of pleasure was on its way. 

The whole episode had exhausted her thoroughly. Her body was desperate for some peace and rest. Her poor clit felt as though it was on fire.

"N-No more tricks... please," she moaned as she collapsed against him, head lolling against his chest. "Just end this..."

**He pulled her up next to him and lifted her skirts, settling her between his legs with her back against his chest.**

**His hand slid along her hip, then dove between her legs underneath her undergarments, resting against her clitoris. He didn’t even move his fingers; he just let them sit against her heated flesh with gentle pressure.**

**He felt her tightening, squirming against his touch desperately...and against the bulge in his pants. He closed his eyes and shuddered, then leaned forward and whispered in her ear.**

**“I’ve got you, Iona. Come for me...** ** _now_ ** **.”**

**Then he flicked her, just one time, and felt her body seize with orgasm at that most delicate of touches and the command in his voice.**

**He smirked. Norns, this was almost too easy.**

**As soon as the pleasure finished cresting over her, the snake’s mouth opened, and the bracelet fell from her wrist.**

Iona nearly flew off the bed as the orgasm struck her. It seemed like Loki simply needed to give her the deft touch of his fingers to have her moaning in ecstasy. 

"Oh Norns!" she sobbed in relief as the feeling of pervasive and near painful pressure on her sex eased slowly. 

She didn't care that she was literally humping his arousal as she came, for _ her _pleasure was her only goal. In fact, she had almost no awareness of it. 

Finally, as her body's needs were fulfilled, she sighed and relaxed against his front, her eyes drooping close. Exhaustion took her immediately.

**Loki chuckled softly as she went limp against him...then he noticed her even breathing and relaxed features. Goodness…she passed out!**

**And he was fairly trapped beneath her. Something in him refused to move her, feeling like she had somehow earned the relief after what he’d put her through...though the weight of her body on his erect cock was rather maddening...**

**He shifted around, trying to find a position where his enthusiastic member wouldn’t feel quite so stimulated against her, but...he could not get into that desired position with her asleep against his lap.**

**He began to sweat a bit...he couldn’t relieve his own needs with her draped over him. He dared not move her, and it was getting worse...**

**Just then, a group of several healers walked through the door, forgetting to knock in their concern and haste. “Your majesty, we’ve come to attend to-”**

**His threw Iona’s skirts down her legs and his eyes turned up to them in rage and panic. “CLOSE THE DOOR AND GET OUT!” he whisper-shouted, scaring them off and hoping that they hadn’t seen more than was polite.**

**Then again, they were healers...they weren’t allowed to say anything even if he hadn’t been quick enough in covering Iona’s modesty.**

**While he himself remained tortuously aroused, he contemplated what an interesting turn of events this was. She was sleeping peacefully and he was left in a most uncomfortable predicament. Even he had to appreciate the irony of it.**

**With a resigned sigh, he settled back, accepting the cruel hand that fate had dealt him... and which he so rightly deserved. He would have to deal with his own discomfort in the morning...when Iona would finally awaken and likely hate him forever.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Loki, you absolute ass!_   

> 
> It seems that he cannot help himself...


	7. Mischief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iona and Loki engage in some tricksy warfare...  


**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

**Loki started noticing some unusual occurrences almost immediately following the engagement ceremony.**

**The first was rather minor. He sat down to review some edicts...and his favorite pen refused to write. He checked the inkwell - it was full of water instead of ink. Curious, but barely irritating...until he realized that ALL of his ink was missing.**

**Then, after thoroughly berating the palace staff for leaving his supply of ink unstocked, he returned to his study to read, but when he sat down...he immediately jumped up with a yelp. There were cacti spines pushed up through the upholstery of his chair! He looked around suspiciously… who in the Nine Realms was...**

**That’s when it began to dawn on him.**

**The next incident happened after he bathed the following day. He walked out of his bathroom and into his chambers, and was shocked and horrified by what he saw.**

**RED. Everything - the drapes, the fabrics of his bed, the curtains, even the rugs had been replaced with that hideous shade, and all in the time it took him to shower! He was begrudgingly impressed.**

**Ignoring the latest disturbance in his life, he went to prepare himself for the day. But when he faced the mirror...** ** _that_ ** ** affront was too much.**

**His hair was ** ** _blond!_ ** ** Someone had put bleaching dye in his shampoo! Between that and the red fabrics in his room...he looked like Thor Lite (as the Midgardians would say). Ugh, it was humiliating.**

**With a blast of seidr, he changed everything back to the way ** ** _he_ ** ** wanted it.**

**And he was fairly certain he knew who was causing all this trouble… He grinned.**

**Two could play this game...**

Iona was feeling a smug satisfaction about her recent clandestine achievements. There was even a skip in her step these days.

She had just seen Loki out and about, minding his kingly business. And he had looked kind of put out. 

That meant that her good work of the last few days was coming to fruition. 

She smiled impishly as she thought about her trip to the kitchen only a few minutes ago. It was nothing special at all. She had just replaced some things... salt in the place of sugar, sugar in the place of salt...and added a special blend of herbs in his tea.

The Allfather's tea time was nigh. She wished she could witness the aftermath of THAT. It would be such quality entertainment.

Alas, she knew that she couldn’t be there. It would be the worst possible move to be anywhere near Loki while he drank his  _ special  _ tea.

Humming a happy little song to herself, she entered her chambers and went to take a hot, fragrant bath. She was free for a few hours - no one was coming to her doorstep with the wedding plans - so she set about pampering herself.

After the bath, she patted herself dry with a fluffy towel and went over to her armoire to carefully select her clothes. She was going to be a queen in a few months, and the recent additions to her wardrobe represented that.

The clothes were more ornate now, and made of finer material. This was one of the luxuries of the title that she knew she'd come to enjoy.

However, just as she began to peruse her clothes, she began to notice something odd.  _ All  _ of her dresses were now green, and her underclothes were nowhere to be found. 

A gasp escaped her lips then, and her eyes widened.

_ Oh no. _ .. Loki was on to her.

With her heart skipping a beat, she rushed over to the full-length mirror in her dressing room to inspect her naked form. 

What she saw in the reflection made her scream.

Her brows, eyelashes, and the intimate curls between her legs... all were dyed green.  _ GREEN! _

NORNS!

Despite the sudden panic, she knew that she had to remedy this situation quickly. She was supposed to make public appearances these days, and sometimes, without prior warning. She would be a laughing stock if she didn’t do something.

Dressing herself quickly - sans the undergarments, of course - she quickly donned a hooded cloak and ran towards the healers' wing to seek a dark coloured hair dye.

On the way, her bare bottom began to itch terribly, feeling as though it was developing hives. It only served to heighten her panic.

**Loki’s illusion hid in the shadows as it watched Iona rush from her rooms, covered in a hooded cloak. Back in his chambers, he chuckled before dispersing his ethereal doppelgänger and raising his cup of tea to his lips.**

**Served her right for—**

**He spit out ALL the tea from his mouth - it was salty! ** ** _Incredibly _ ** **salty, like an ocean...**

**He pinched some of the small granules from his sugar dish and tasted them - of course. Pure salt. It also made him take note of how much sugar he was accustomed to adding into his tea...**

**Could he not have one moment of respite? He would teach her not to challenge the God of Mischief in this game ** ** _he_ ** ** had mastered, that he—**

**Why was he suddenly so aroused?**

**Certainly the playful exchange between himself and Iona was alluring...but he suddenly felt...** ** _desperate_ ** **. His cock ached and pushed against the now-almost-unbearable confines of his pants.**

**A small moan breached his throat as he looked down at the tea… He lifted the cup and took a deep inhale...and almost ** ** _creamed _ ** **himself.**

**That...that… vicious****_ women_** **had spiked his drink with the strongest aphrodisiac known to Aesir-kind. He even knew where she got it from: the herbalist. The plant she used was the same one he had based his bracelet spell on...**

**He reached into his breeches and tried to relieve the pressure, tugging at himself and nearly whimpering as his touch did ** ** _absolutely_ ** ** no good...**

** _Ohhhhh..._ ** ** this was too much. **

**He stormed out of his chambers, high on testosterone and rage and the need to satisfy this painful arousal immediately, seeking out Iona.**

Iona was just returning from the healers' wing, with some temporary mix of make-up and hair darkening potion applied on her face - to save her the humiliation - and a more permanent solution in her pocket. 

Her bottom had to be treated too, for apparently it had developed a  _ sunburn _ . Thankfully, her healer friends had a topical ointment for that at hand.

Just as she was damning Loki in her thoughts, she saw the queen mother and her ladies heading in her direction. Well, it was certainly good to see that she was finally venturing out of her chambers.

Iona knew where she and entourage were going, for she had been with the queen mother for centuries. She didn't wish to encounter them at the moment, so she turned around quickly and hurried ahead of them, taking the first turn into the adjoining corridor. 

However, that decision only proved worse for her, for she saw Loki marching down that particular corridor, his countenance murderous and his pants sporting an enormous bulge - visible even through his long tunic.

Oh... he must've had his tea.

Iona couldn't help but giggle at that thought. But she wasn't given the opportunity to fully enjoy her prank, for he spotted her and increased his pace. 

_ Oh no...  _

If he managed to catch her, she knew that he'd drag her to the nearest flat surface and ravish her like a raging bilgesnipe. In this state, he'd not let her go for hours. She couldn't afford to be caught by him!

Suddenly, an idea struck her.

She turned around and gave Loki an alluring, come-hither smile. And then she skipped over to the royal gardens, knowing that he'd come after her.

**That ** ** _look_ ** **.**

**So many things happened when she gave him that look. His initial reaction was fury - how dare she tease him, the ** ** _Allfather_ ** **, in this way? She may be his betrothed, but she was still just a noblewoman. He fumed...her behavior was ** ** _completely_ ** ** unacceptable! She needed a correction...**

**Then, almost as quickly, the rage was replaced by a gnawing urge to hold her down and ravish her until he was satisfied. Everything about her - the flirtatious glint in her eyes, the way her hips swayed as she walked, even the tastefully prudent neckline of the green dress she wore - drove him wild like an animal in heat. And she had ** ** _beckoned_ ** ** him before wandering out of sight.**

** _That little imp..._ **

**With a growl and an almost maniacal focus, he hurried to follow her, all other thoughts and concerns fading as one goal overtook his mind.**

** _Catch her._ **

Iona had just about reached the gardens when a long arm snaked around her waist and lifted her off the ground. She yelped and turned her head to watch the determined and angry expression on Loki's face.

"My king, what are you doing?" she asked breathily, feeling just a tad bit nervous now as he carried her off towards a thick willow tree.

Her slippers had fallen off due to his roughness, and thus she landed barefoot on the grass when he dropped her next to the tree, crowding her against it.

She tried her best to put up a brave face.

"I see that you have a BIG problem, sire," she said as her gaze shifted to his crotch pointedly. "But it's unwise to seek its solution out here."

**“It was ** ** _unwise_ ** ** to give me this problem in the first place!” he snarled at her. His hands went instantly to her breasts, cupping them roughly. And just as he was about to cast an illusion to hide them...**

**“LOKI ODINSON! What are you doing?!”**

**Frigga’s familiar chastising voice rang out behind him, making him cringe.**

**He looked over his shoulder to see his mother - ** ** _and _ ** **her entire entourage - standing there, staring at him groping his future wife. **

** _Norns, could this day get any worse?_ **

**He kept his front facing Iona as he released her, eyes narrowing at the smug, satisfied smile on her face.**

**“Well played, sweetling...” he whispered, once again, begrudgingly impressed. It was an emotion he grew more and more familiar with the longer he spent time with this infuriating woman.**

**He took her by the shoulders and spun her off the tree, keeping her in front of him as he faced the Queen Mother, hiding his less-than-appropriate urges behind the mass of her skirts. **

**He flashed the most charming, innocent smile he could manage.**

**“Hello, Mother,” he said nicely, as though nothing were the matter. “I, ah, well...this is all really rather embarrassing. A spider landed on Iona and I was trying to assist her in removing it--“**

**“Loki.” Frigga put her hands on her hips and gave him ** ** _the look_ ** ** \- the look she’d been giving him and Thor all their lives when they got into trouble. Allfather or not, that look instantly quelled ** ** _any_ ** ** excuses he’d thought to make up. “Leave your poor fiancé alone. She need not suffer your indulgences until ** ** _after_ ** ** you are wed.”**

While Frigga admonished him, Iona slipped from Loki's hold and ran towards her, leaving his priapic state visible to everyone.

"I told him to stop it," she murmured, shifting her countenance to appear utterly lost and nervous as she reached the queen mother and tried to hide behind her. "But you know how he is."

All the ladies gasped as they witnessed the Allfather's present predicament, some even tittering in response, adding to Loki's humiliation. 

Iona smirked at him from behind Frigga, a winning sparkle in her eyes. 

Her impromptu plan had worked beautifully.

**Loki’s normally perfect complexion flushed red as Iona slipped away from him and left his...eh, ** ** _enthusiasm_ ** ** exposed in front of the Queen Mother’s entourage.**

**Ohhhh Norns, Iona would pay for this...**

**“** ** _Loki_ ** **...” Frigga sounded exasperated. She crossed her arms, rolling her eyes. “A ** ** _spider_ ** **, indeed… Go back to your chambers until you’re more presentable.”**

**“Yes, Mother...” he mumbled, overwhelmingly embarrassed. With one last glare at his betrothed, he turned quickly to escape back to his rooms, the entire time cursing Iona in his mind as he plotted what he would do to get back at her...**

Iona went back to her chambers with a giddy sense of relief and victory in her heart. She had just outsmarted the  _ God of Mischief _ . That was some achievement!

To celebrate her little victory over Loki, she went straight to her stash of sweet treats and popped one chocolate covered delicacy into her mouth.

However, she had to immediately spit it out, because it tasted all wrong on her tongue. When she looked at its centre, there was a green vegetable there, instead of a delicious dried fruit.

She took a bite of another sweet in her collection, and attained the same results. 

Soon, she discovered that all of her sweets had been replaced with chocolate coated vegetables. And that just about ruined her victorious feeling.

**It took ** ** _three hours_ ** ** for the aphrodisiac’s effect to wear off. By the time Loki brought himself to completion for the last time, his cock was sore and red. And he was ** ** _exhausted_ ** **. Sweat matted his hair as he breathed heavily, trying to gather himself following this most unusual afternoon...**

**He had been outplayed. For the first time in his life, someone had actually ** ** _beaten_ ** ** him at his own game. And he was not taking it well.**

**On top of ** ** _that_ ** ** blow to his ego, later that evening he also was quite put off by the hour-long scolding he received from his mother about how the Allfather ** ** _should_ ** ** behave. Honestly, after that indignancy, his head spun with thoughts of revenge against Iona, of how he could humiliate her like he’d been humiliated…**

**But after some time of brooding and considering his options...he calmed those initial urges. That’s what she** ** _ would_ ** ** be expecting - for him to attack on all fronts in a manic attempt to one-up her. **

**No, no...revenge was best served cold, after all...**

**He had an idea of what might work, but it was weeks out - not until her dress fitting. And until then...he would do nothing. She could - and he knew that she ** ** _would _ ** **\- continue to try and goad him as much as she liked, but he would not retaliate. Not until she was completely paranoid about what his eventual revenge would entail.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo.... Loki is on the back foot for now. What do you guys think he'll do next? And how would Iona tackle that?


	8. Fitting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iona has to get her wedding dress fitted....  
  
...And it comes with a lot of *cough* _pricks_.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Maarika's POV_; _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

Iona was growing nervous now, checking her room for traps and tricks every day, even though nothing happened.

She continued her sneaky pranks on Loki after the incident in the royal gardens, despite her wisdom telling her to tone it down a bit. She feared his retaliation, but still, seeing him reacting to her tricks had been so satisfying!

However, ever since the trick at the royal gardens, he hadn't done _ anything _. What more, he no longer showed any response to her pranks. Iona knew that he wasn’t the one to suffer so stoically...

She had put dirt in his shoes, wrinkled all his impeccably crease-less tunics, and moved all the furniture in his room an inch to the left, just enough to mess with his spatial acuity. Still, _ nothing _...

All was well and good on the face of it. The king didn't seem bothered at all. He didn't even look in her direction whenever they happened to be in the same room in public, especially during those tedious meetings about the wedding arrangements.

The dead silence from him unnerved her terribly.

Weeks had gone by and he hadn't acted out. She couldn't be sure, but she felt like he was planning something horrible. 

The wedding day was getting closer and closer, and Iona wondered if he planned on taking his revenge _ after _ they were married. Then, he'd have her within arm's reach, so it seemed apt that he’d wait.

The thought of it made her shiver...

**Maarika prepared her tailoring space for the arrival of the soon-to-be-queen. The wedding dress was beautifully displayed on the mannequin in the corner, and everything was nearly ready.**

**Picking up her silver shears, she inspected them in the light before returning them to their velvet cushion, then she heard a knock at the door.**

**“Enter!” she said in a sing-song voice. Iona walked in, and Maarika smiled at her warmly.**

**“Ah, your ladyship! I’ve been looking forward to our appointment. Come, undress, and let’s get this pretty dress on you. Willa sends her apologies that she wasn’t able to be here herself...she had a family emergency. She asked me to come in and attend to you in her stead .”**

Iona gave the woman a tentative smile as she locked the door to the fitting room and went to fetch her wedding dress. 

"I hope it's nothing serious. I haven't seen you here before. Are you new; perhaps, an understudy?" she asked as she began to loosen the stays of her dress.

In all honesty, she would have felt more comfortable with the matronly head seamstress, Willa Paalsdottir, than she did with someone she hadn't met before. But it didn’t seem like she’d be afforded that choice, so, she pursed her lips and tried her best to be accommodating.

Being half naked in front of a stranger was not something that thrilled her. Still, this fitting was essential, so she needed to get through it.

**Maarika smiled as Iona undressed, even helping her along by pulling her dress off her as quickly as possible. She then went about assisting her in putting on the first of several layers of the bridal ensemble. **

**“Somewhat new, yes. I was on Vanaheim working for the Queen Mother’s royal family for the last century or so, then I was asked to come here. All very run-of-the-mill for us servant types!”**

**She held Iona’s hand to steady her as she stepped up on the fitting platform, and began pinning the underskirts so they clung to Iona’s shapely frame.**

**“So...tell me about the king! I hear he’s kind of dreamy in a scary, unhinged sort of way...” Maarika grinned but kept her eyes focused on her work. She didn’t seem to have the practiced technique that Willa made look so easy.**

Iona compressed her lips as her anxiety spiked at the mention of Loki. This was _ just _great. He needed no tricks at all to have her in this state. Her own mind was doing the work for him.

"He's dreamy indeed," she replied blandly, not wanting to go into the details. "But not mad, as half of Asgard likes to believe. He's quite a capable ruler. And all capable rulers have to be a bit scary."

**“I don’t know...I ** ** _like_ ** ** my men a little scary. Just something about that unpredictability and cold charm...oooh it gets me going! Oh, sorry!” Maarika squeaked as her pin accidentally pricked Iona’s thigh. “Would you stop moving around quite so much, my lady? This does take some precision...”**

Iona tried to hold herself still for the young seamstress, grimacing as she pricked her again. This time, on her bottom.

"I'm trying my best here, Maarika, please be a bit gentler in your handling," she urged, keeping her spine stiff and head straight. "And I wonder why you'd want a man who's unpredictable... and cold. That would be so wild. You'd have anxiety for days."

**“I suppose that’s just a difference in preference, my lady,” Maarika said as she worked her way up to pinning the soft fabric near Iona’s ribs. “If I were to be betrothed to someone like King Loki...” She stopped for a moment, a distant, far-off expression overtaking her for a few seconds before she came back to reality, blushed at Iona, then shoved a pin ungracefully into the fabric, pricking Iona again - this time on the side of her torso.**

**“Oh, goodness, my lady...I ** ** _am_ ** ** trying to be gentle, but every time I’m about to set the pin where I want it, you move!”**

Iona had watched her expression when she had mentioned Loki. It was akin to an adolescent girl mooning over a charming prince.

Norns, was she _ attracted _to him?

And then she had pricked her again.

Iona hissed in discomfort, clenching her fists to control her annoyance with the woman.

"_ Please _ take care, Maarika,” she requested in a strained voice. “At this rate you'd leave the whole of my body covered in pricks."

**“Rumor has it that you don’t like ** ** _little_ ** ** pricks anyway...” Maarika said under her breath. Before Iona could respond, Maarika pricked her yet again, this time drawing a tiny drop of blood that soaked into the creamy white fabric of the underdress.**

**While the lady cried out in anguish, Maarika gasped in dismay.**

**“Oh dear! Well, no one will be able to see that anyway...”**

**Just then, there was a knock at the door. Maarika stood to answer it. “Excuse me, your ladyship. I’ll be back momentarily.” **

**Maarika opened the heavy wooden door, and on the other side...was none other than King Loki.**

**He seemed apathetic, distant, ** ** _haughty_ ** **...so, rather normal, for the last few weeks, anyway.**

**“Iona, how is your fitting progressing? I was just walking by, so I thought I would check on you, to see if there is anything you might require.”**

**Maarika’s eyes lit up like candles as she watched him, completely enamored. He paid her no mind.**

Iona kind of shrank into herself as Loki talked to her in that commanding, conceited tone. Damn him... why were her thighs trying to squeeze together? Was she accepting Maarika’s ways and reacting to his rudeness in the form of… excitement?

No… no, she wasn’t. Not at all... 

"No, sire, I'm doing quite well," she replied, her hands nervously brushing the folds of her underdress. "The fitting is going on splendidly."

She didn't want to get Maarika in trouble, so she kept the issue of pin pricks to herself. Even though she _ had _ made that cheeky comment about her and ‘ _ pricks _’.

"How is your day going, my king?" she asked sweetly, trying her best to look the part of a loving spouse-to-be.

**Loki seemed not to have even heard her as he approached, keeping his hands stiffly behind his back. He bent at the waist to inspect the tailoring thus far, and his eyes travelled over all of Iona’s body...but never up to her face. He seemed to be intentionally avoiding eye contact, with just the slightest sheen of disgust tinging his otherwise impassive expression.**

**“Hm,” was all he said before standing fully upright again, turning to leave through the open threshold. “Come to the council room once you’ve finished, Iona. We need to discuss seating with the caterer, and the florist needs your input on the final bouquet and other decorative arrangements.”**

**He said it like he was naming off household chores instead of wedding plans...**

Iona was quite put out by his cold, aloof demeanour, even though this had been their normal behaviour towards each other for centuries. Perhaps her pranks had gone too far, but then again, he _ had _invited them upon himself.

Still, his behaviour was pricking her worse than those damned pins that Maarika was insisting on poking into her. Mayhap a tiny bit of hope had begun to blossom in Iona's heart that he'd change his conduct towards her, at least publicly, since they were to be married soon.

Now, he had crushed that hope, making her respond with similar coldness. "I will, sire, as soon as I'm done here."

**He stopped in the doorway before exiting, turned back to Iona, and suddenly, a genuine smile spread across his lips. **

**“I look forward to seeing you later, darling,” he said softly before walking away, allowing Maarika to close the door behind him.**

**As soon as she did, she leaned up against it and held her hands to her chest in absolutely glee.**

**“Oh NORNS! He is....that was...my lady, how can you STAND it?! He’s ****_so_** **_dreamy_****!” She spun around, almost dancing with delight at just that brief interaction...an interaction that she wasn’t even a part of.**

Iona was blushing as Maarika gushed about Loki. She didn't know what to make of his parting words, spoken so gently... so _ lovingly _. 

It was most likely just a charade, for he knew that Maarika was observing them. Mayhap he wanted to feed her obvious mooning. He was vain enough to attempt that.

"Maarika, will you please hurry up with the fitting?" she asked stiffly, ignoring the young woman's silly antics. "As you just witnessed, I'm required elsewhere, so we need to wrap this up quickly."

**Maarika’s mood immediately dampened, and she turned her gaze down. “Yes, of course, my lady...” **

**Iona’s clipped command wounded her - she had been waiting to see the King in the flesh for her ** ** _entire_ ** ** life, and now that she had...she was being ** ** _chastised_ ** ** for her excitement? It wasn’t fair...**

**Maarika brought the overdress to Iona and helped her put it on, then continued her work in silence, still somehow pricking Iona with every fourth or fifth pin, only saying “sorry” softly after each one. After several excruciatingly awkward minutes, Maarika looked like she might begin to cry...**

Iona was feeling rather weary now. So many pricks... she had endured _ so many pricks _!

And yet, she couldn't bring herself to admonish the woman. She already looked quite down after she had brushed aside all her excitement over Loki.

"Maarika, is something the matter?" she asked gently, seeing that her eyes were beginning to water as she tucked the bodice of her dress.

**“No, my lady...” Maarika squeaked, obviously on the verge of tears as she brought the final piece of the dress to Iona and slipped it over her shoulders, “I just...ohhhh!!!”**

**Maarika covered her face with her hands and began to sob.**

**“I’m the head of the King Loki Appreciation Society back on Vanaheeeeeeim!” She wailed in despair as she collapsed in a defeated heap on the floor. “Once word gets out that even the new queen despises him, just like everyone else...it’s not fair, it’s just not—WHY DOESN’T ANYONE TRY TO UNDERSTAND HIM?!”**

**She looked up at Iona from the floor, tears and snot dripping down her face. **

**“What IS it that you dislike about him?! What has he done to so insult you that even my excitement must be quelled? If there is something horrible I should know, please my lady, just say so. Give me some relief so I can hate him like everyone else does...I can’t stand feeling like the only one who might give him a chance to prove that he’s worthy of adoration...”**

**She snuffled a wet snort as she wailed, returning her face to her hands and covering the streaks of tears.**

Iona just stared at Maarika in shock, her hands hovering mid-air as the woman wailed and wept over Loki.

Over _ Loki… _ of _ all _the people...

"Maarika, please, calm yourself down," she mumbled, trying to gather her expansive dress to get off the fitting platform. It was heavy and hence, she landed on the floor rather clumsily. "I don't hate the king. Why do you think that I do?"

She tried her best to lift the distressed woman off the floor, but the dress made her slow and ungainly. Still, she kept trying, though fearing that she’d likely topple over.

"Maarika, dear, _ please _..."

In the back of her mind, she also feared that Maarika would spread the rumour about her hating Loki, which would throw a very bad light on her. She hadn't even become the queen yet and already, problems were arising for her.

**Maarika gradually stood, leaning heavily onto Iona and still crying like a child. “You DO hate him...I can tell. And he even ** ** _said _ ** **he looked forward to seeing you later? Do you have ANY idea what I would give to have King Loki say that to ME?! Just being in the same ROOM with him for a few seconds is all I’ve ever wanted...and you’re going to MARRY him! Ohhhhhh...!”**

**And she collapsed again, pulling Iona down with her.**

**“Oh, my lady, please,” she snorted again, getting a bit of her phlegm on Iona’s arm. “If he is as bad as everyone says he is...please tell me. Please let me deal with my grief and move on...anything at all, just...I can’t stand to be in the wrong anymore!”**

"No, he's not bad. Not at all," Iona muttered, panting with exertion from trying to move in the heavy dress AND hold the woman upright. "And I love him dearly. Please stop saying that I hate him! Why do you think I'm marrying him?"

She brought Maarika to the nearest sofa and quite literally dumped her there, nearly falling over herself with the effort. Then, she took off the cape and the overdress and set it aside, letting out a sigh of relief as the weight was taken off her shoulders.

Pouring a glass of water from the nearby pitcher, she brought it to Maarika and handed it to her. "Here, please drink this and try to calm yourself. We can talk afterwards. I'll tell you about my relationship with King Loki."

**Maarika nodded and took the glass, bringing it to her lips and sipping it delicately, trying to calm down. After a few minutes of deep breaths, refreshing gulps of water and Iona rubbing her back gently (which felt lovely), Maarika finally sighed and collected herself.**

**“Thank you, my lady. I’m so sorry...I spend so much time defending King Loki, sometimes it wears on me. Please, I would love to know more about your relationship. What is he like?”**

Letting out a sigh, Iona prepared to lie through her teeth. 

"Well, he's very gentle and sweet in private. He loves to leave me little presents whenever he visits me, you know." She bit her lip and blushed as she remembered what the last present of his did to her. _ Cad _... "And he's very chivalrous... always making sure that I have all the comforts in the world. He did that even in the early days of our youth."

She tried her best to assume a faraway, dreamy look in her eyes as she talked about her would-be husband, as though theirs was the greatest romance ever.

"Our true romance only began while he was in the dungeons, though, when I used to sneak him things of his interest upon the queen mother's command." Iona then turned her attention back on Maarika and smiled sweetly. "Now tell me, how did you become so enamoured with the king? I haven't seen such a worshiping reaction from anyone else before."

**“Oh, I have always been quite taken with his majesty, even when he was a prince, before all of this...” Maarika waved her hand in the air, searching for the words. The gesture seemed strangely familiar...**

**“** ** _Unpleasantness_ ** **,” she said, finally deciding what best described the king’s last few years. “I feel...as though I could relate to his struggles, like if I were put in the situations he had been in, I may very well have acted in the same manner. But he is royalty, after all, and I’m just...I’m a tailor’s apprentice...”**

**Suddenly, she laughed. It started like a small giggle, which gradually grew into a louder chuckle, until it was almost uncontainable. And it did not sound natural to someone of Maarika’s stature or upbringing...**

Iona blinked at Maarika in utter confusion. Her behaviour was beginning to bother her, even to the extent of making her nervous. Something about it was... _ off _.

"Yes, well, there have been many upheavals in the king's life. I'm glad that you sympathize with him." She shifted awkwardly on the sofa while Maarika kept laughing like a lunatic. "Umm, Maarika, I think it best to have the fitting tomorrow, perhaps. You need to... mayhap have some rest?"

**“You’re probably right,” she laughed again. “I’m not especially good at this, am I?”**

**Then a ** ** _very_ ** ** familiar look crossed Maarika’s face - smirking, with one eyebrow raised.**

**“It has been so good getting to know you better, ** ** _your ladyship_ ** **! Your patience and your ** ** _beautiful_ ** ** way with words - false as they may be - are certainly impressive.”**

Iona's heart fluttered as Maarika's face showed her Loki's expressions.

_ Another trick...another ruse! _

However, this time she didn't react the way she had reacted with the _ servant girl _. 

She simply leaned against the sofa and observed his seamstress persona coldly.

"Same trick _ twice _? You're getting desperate," she remarked, keeping her ire in check. "And here I was expecting something else entirely."

**She kept laughing.**

**“Desperate? No, dear. I just wanted to prick you with those pins as many times as possible - for all of those minor slights over the last few weeks. And did you SEE that illusion I made of myself? Quite the red herring. Even ** ** _you_ ** ** looked surprised.”**

**Then her breath held for just a moment as she searched Iona’s eyes, still mirthful but tempered, questioning.**

**“Why do you keep standing up for me, Iona? Even the most well-trained noblewoman would have opened up after that charade...I know you hate me, so why?”**

**Before she could respond, Maarika/Loki put her finger to Iona’s lips. “And don’t say it’s your ‘wifely duty.’ You had no issue bad-mouthing me before I became the Allfather, so what is it?”**

"I'm sorry, but I don't answer to illusions," she said tersely, her lips brushing against Loki’s finger as she spoke. 

She moved away from the disguised king and rose from the sofa, her demeanour growing more guarded.

"Aren't we getting late for our meeting?"

**“There’s no meeting,” she chuckled. “All part of the ruse...” **

**The feeling of Iona’s lips moving against her finger sent a pleasant shiver through Loki. Oh, ** ** _Norns_ ** **, just that small thing got her going. She even felt some wetness starting between her legs...**

**Then...Loki had an idea. It may have been a risky thought, but Iona had certainly proven herself capable of keeping her lips sealed.**

**With another grin, she stood and faced Iona, holding her by the hips. **

**“Since you’ve been so… ** ** _enthusiastic _ ** **in shaping my image as a loving would-be husband, I want to offer you something in return. I have a secret I want to share with you. No more illusions, I promise.”**

**Loki shimmered in gold, back to his usual form, ready to explain what he was about to do, but finding it hard to get the words to come out. After a moment’s hesitation, he cradled her face in his hands and kissed her, deeply, passionately...** ** _vulnerably_ ** **. There was a gentleness to it that was very unlike his usual bravado and dominance.**

"Wh-What secret?" Iona asked, watching him with heavy-lidded eyes as their lips parted. She had wished to resist him… but somehow, not done it. Despite their differences, her body seemed to welcome his touch. “Are you going to play a prank on me again?”

She had blurted out that last question, against her better judgment. Somehow, his unexpected kiss had discombobulated her, taken away the layers of protection she had been wearing around her psyche, and rendered her vulnerable.

She wasn’t sure, but there was something different in the way his lips had caressed hers. And it had pulled an earnest response from her.

**Loki smiled - differently than Iona had seen before. There was no malice, or mischief, or misdirection. It was, as best he could manage, ** ** _honest_ ** **. “No. Not another prank. This is...true,” he assured her.**

**Then he kissed her again, with the same tenderness as before, silently asking her to trust him.**

She kissed him back, hesitant but assiduous, giving him encouragement to go ahead with his reveal. She wished to show him that she could be honest and encouraging... if _ he _was willing to be so as well.

**He took a deep breath and swallowed hard, gathering his courage...then he shimmered in gold once again.**

**Loki changed into a form Iona had not seen before. The shift was quite subtle, and the person standing there was still very obviously Loki in features and face. But beautiful, soft...** ** _female_ ** **.**

**The smile changed only slightly, to something much more...delicate. **

**“I am not...simply male OR female. Physically, of course, I can be whatever I want to be, but...it is ** ** _more_ ** ** than that. I am both...and neither...simultaneously. But I AM myself here.”**

**Her voice was husky and dark, so like the male Loki’s and yet so utterly different.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.... I guess it's time for some Lady Loki... NO... _Queen Loki_ action.  
Will Iona accept this form of Loki? Will she be reserved about this part of Loki's identity? Or will she embrace it and react in surprising ways?  
Find out next Thursday, right here. :P


	9. Honesty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iona gets to know Loki in a whole new way.

_ **All hail Queen Loki** _

[ ](https://dorodraws.tumblr.com/post/68746815392/lady-loki-doodle)

* * *

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

Iona's head tilted sideways as she stared at Loki in wonder. Her mouth dropped in surprise. The woman in front of her was striking in the same way as her male counterpart was, but still, there was a _ world _of difference.

She had known about the existence of individuals who existed outside the strict definition of gender, but Loki was still... _ different._ He - _ she _\- could just change it at will…? It was most unsettling...

"What makes you think that I won't share this information?"

She still didn't understand why Loki was being so honest with her. For weeks he had treated her callously--and she had retaliated in the same vein. Now, he was suddenly entrusting her with _ this _ secret?

**Loki giggled at the look she made - it was like a befuddled puppy. She couldn’t help it - Iona was so endearing when she was confused.**

**And the attempted threat glanced off her like water off a duck’s back.**

**“You could have shared so much more over the past weeks, and you remained discreet. Even ** ** _I_ ** ** don’t understand it...but maybe someday I will. We will be spending quite a bit more time together very soon, and I want you to understand how much I appreciate your...** ** _loyalty_ ** **.”**

**Loki wrapped a strand of Iona’s hair around her finger, gently brushing her cheek as she did. Her answering shiver was very telling.**

**“I’m not all lies and cruelty, my dear. Trickster though I may be, it doesn’t preclude me from being open in the right** **circumstances. I feel you’ve proven yourself worthy of my trust...for ****_this_**** secret, at least.”**

"So, you're constantly testing me, to see if I’ll keep being discreet?" Iona asked softly, moved by her gentle touch. Norns, why did her _ touch _ affect her this way? It was so wonderful and tender...

Slowly, her eyes dilated at she regarded Loki in this distinctly familiar, yet unfamiliar form. The feminine features gave him--_ her _\--a softness that was obviously lacking in his male form. Still, Loki was as beautiful as ever.

It was a bit unfair.

"And has the test ended now, sire? Can I breathe easy?"

**“Please, dear. Call me by my name. I do so love the sound of it coming off your tongue...”**

Norns, that husky voice of hers was as hypnotic as his deep baritone.

"Loki," Iona murmured quietly, just as Loki’s long fingers threaded through her hair, cradling her head. "How does that sound?"

Her tone became sultry as she asked that question, her eyes fluttering as Loki came closer. Her resistance to him, or _ her_, for that matter, was slowly eroding, but still, in the back of her mind, she kept wondering if she was making a mistake… if she’d end up getting hurt.

**Loki hummed approvingly, closing her eyes and taking a shuddering breath. Iona’s voice sent shivers up and down her spine. **

**“That sounds...lovely...” she said softly. Then, remembering her earlier question, Loki smiled and her tone turned a shade darker.**

**“I will ** ** _always_ ** ** test you, Iona. I will push your limits in every way I know how, to learn all of the secrets your mind and body possess.”**

**Try as she might, Loki could ** ** _not_ ** ** pull her eyes away from Iona’s lips...soft and pillowy, slightly open, ** ** _begging_ ** ** to be kissed again...**

**“Like that secret of your attraction for women. Have you...explored it before?”**

Iona blushed as she considered the question, remembering her trip to Vanaheim many moons ago. It was with one of the fast friends she had made there, another nobleman's daughter... she had been quite young and naive back then, and the girl's touch had been pleasant.

They had explored each other under the garb of preparing themselves for men...

"I... I don't recall that I have," she lied, trying to pry her eyes from Loki. She didn't know if her secrets were safe with her. Yet.

**Loki narrowed her eyes at Iona. “Darling...what am I the God of again?” She smirked.**

Iona clenched her fists, nerves catching up with her. Damn, why was Loki able to detect her lies so easily? Could she ever learn to keep any secrets safe from the god of lies?

"It was a long time ago," she mumbled, looking down. "I didn't even realize what I was doing."

**Loki smiled, then kissed her softly, ** ** _sweetly_****. It was not forceful or charged, but it was passionate nonetheless. Even after they parted, Loki felt Iona’s lips on hers still. They tingled.**

**“Everyone starts somewhere, Iona. Even me. I think that few people realize what they’re doing at any given moment - it’s only in retrospect that they can judge and decide whether their actions were ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ But lies and truth...those don’t change based on perception. Never fear telling me the truth, sweetling.”**

Iona licked her lips as she stared up at Loki, giving her a small nod, even though this sudden sweetness and gentleness from her would-be spouse was confusing her to no end…

"I'll try my best," she murmured, eyes gravitating towards those sultry, sensual lips that had just kissed her. 

Norns, why did Loki have to be so alluring as a woman? This was weakening her plans to get her revenge...

**“Good girl,” Loki purred, taking her betrothed’s cheek in her hand and feeling a swell of arousal as Iona closed her eyes and absorbed the praise.**

**While Loki didn’t often shift physically into female form, she was always surprised by how much more empathetic she felt when she did...this quiet, intimate moment with Iona was dragging that less-than-gentle moment in the throne room to the forefront of her mind.**

**The potent combination of testosterone and manipulation and power...it always ended up backfiring on ** ** _him_****. ** ** _Always_****. And yet, there was still a thrill to it that kept her...no, ** ** _him_ ** **...going back to it.**

**No, she needed to clear the air...while she was still in the mindset to do so.**

**“Iona, I...” Her eyes shifted, and she looked down. “About...what happened in the throne room, the day before the engagement ceremony...”**

Iona stiffened at the mention of it, which felt like cold water being poured on her. 

"What about it?" she asked, frowning at her.

**Loki held her breath and swallowed hard. “I may have...pushed you a bit far. Even for me. And I...”**

**Norns, why was this so hard to do? Lack of practice, probably...**

**She licked her lips, took a deep breath, and exhaled.**

**“I...am sorry...for how I behaved.”**

Iona tilted her head in confusion once again.

"You... you mean it?" Suddenly, she felt very vulnerable. This wasn't what she had expected. At all.

**“I regret what I did to you, yes.” Her voice was smaller, and she heard it crackle as she spoke. Goodness, was this form about to start ovulating? Why did she feel ** ** _so_****...emotional?**

**Because she ** ** _did_ ** ** feel guilty. Not for forcing Iona to be her...** ** _his_ ** **...bride, but what HE had done to her afterwards. And that part was all ** ** _Him_****.**

**So often, his mind was split - he may be clear on what he wanted to accomplish, but the methods ** ** _He _ ** **used were so often much more violent and hurtful than what ** ** _She _ ** **would have chosen. And now that Loki was She, at least for now...amends had to be made.**

**“I need you as my wife. That cannot change, but...what happened in the throne room, what I made you say, what I did. It started out as a bit of fun, but...something took over. And I only realized afterwards how much I had hurt you. So...yes. I mean it. I’m sorry.”**

Iona's eyes brimmed with tears as she listened to her confession. And somehow, she found the courage to speak her mind, even though she knew that she'd be treading thin ice.

"Apologies come easily, don’t they? Especially in this form, when I can feel your feminine gentleness, when you can be removed from the man who hurt me," she muttered, pulling away from her slightly. "Forgive me, Loki; you may feel like I have proven myself trustworthy to you but… I still cannot trust you. You wanted the truth from me, and this is the truth. I'll be your wife soon, and I'll fulfill the requirements of my role as you want me to... but trust... and forgiveness... I have no control over them. Only time can change that."

**Loki’s eyebrows peaked and her brow furrowed. It wasn’t the answer she wanted...but how could she expect anything more?**

**She nodded. “I understand, sweetling. And I cannot say I will always be so...forthcoming as I am now. I tend to act as the mood strikes me.”**

**Then she reached up and took Iona’s covered breast in her hand, running her thumb across the swell above the edge of her bodice. “And at ** ** _this_ ** ** moment, I feel compelled to give you the true reward for your honesty and discretion, the one I had in mind at the betrothal feast....”**

**Her other hand came up as well, and she squeezed Iona’s breasts firmly, feeling her heart begin to pound.**

Norns, Loki's mood changed so quickly, she couldn't keep up. One moment, she was asking for forgiveness, and now... she was trying to seduce her again.

"I... I didn't have a reward in mind when I kept your secrets," she mumbled, sighing as Loki stroked her nipples through her underdress.

**“I know, dear, and that makes it all the more sweeter.”**

**Truly, even Loki couldn’t understand why she was being so strange. This wasn’t just her female form...it was something Iona did to her. She seemed to lose herself around this woman - the carefully cultivated control she had practiced all her life just dissolved in her presence. It was maddening.**

**And alluring.**

**Loki stopped for a moment, just long enough to look Iona in the eye, to read her body, ensure that she was willing...then she kissed her again. Deep, hard. She backed Iona up to the wall, still squeezing her breasts, now thumbing over her nipples in earnest.**

**It had been a difficult day - and Loki was ready to relieve the stress of it.**

Iona gasped as Loki pushed her against the wall, taking her lips in a heated kiss. This was so different from her earlier kiss... Iona was certain that she was being pulled from one direction to another.

Her hands fluttered around her before finally settling on Loki’s shoulders, narrower than her male form. 

Loki’s hands were still groping her breasts, making her shiver with every pass of her thumbs over her sensitive nipples. She whimpered in need, the lust once again winning over her apprehension.

**That whimper destroyed any doubt Loki had left. With a moan, she drew her finger down the front of Iona’s still-pinned underdress, and where it passed, a sparkle of seidr made the fabric just...fall apart. Iona’s beautiful breasts freed themselves, and just as Loki was about to dive down and take her nipples into her mouth...she noticed all the small, red prick-marks on Iona’s torso and legs.**

**“Oh...dear…” Loki didn’t know whether to laugh or apologize shamefully. There were ** ** _dozens_ ** ** of them! The poor thing really had endured quite a bit. Perhaps she had been too enthusiastic as Maarika…**

**“Let me fix this for you first…” Loki smiled, and she began to kiss each mark on Iona’s body.**

Iona was so confused when Loki began to kiss down her body. Her inherent self-consciousness reared its head again, and her trembling hands loosely tried to cover her modesty from her would-be spouse. It was so silly, though, considering that Loki had already seen her intimately…

She wondered what she meant when she said she’d _ ‘fix this’. _ Was there something wrong with her? That needed fixing?

Just as her mind was about to torment her about it, she began to feel the crisp static of seidr across her skin. It made her jerk, prompting her to pull away nervously, but Loki held her fast in her unyielding but gentle grip.

**“It’s alright, darling,” Loki mumbled against her skin, trying to calm her. With each kiss, she healed the minor injuries - and though it took a while to gently kiss each blemish, Loki didn’t mind taking her time.**

**Finally, every prick Loki had delivered was healed, and she smiled at her soon-to-be wife, who had relaxed once she’d realized what was happening. Iona gave her a lazy, almost sleepy smile.**

**That’s when Loki’s gaze turned predatory once more.**

**“Now...where were we?”**

**And she promptly attached her mouth to Iona’s breast, grabbing her tightly.**

Iona yelped when Loki grabbed her and began to assault her nipples with her mouth. The yelp soon turned into a deep moan, and the moan turned into soft cries. Loki was pulling sounds of sexual surrender from deep within her soul, and Iona was just… helpless against it all.

Her betrothed’s hands seemed omnipresent on her body, grasping her bottom, running down her hips, pushing her thighs apart.

Iona was left in a daze, so completely pushed off-balance by this burst of lust from Loki...

**Loki was in a frenzy. In a burst of seidr, the fitting room changed - blankets, pillows, all soft surfaces covered the room, and Loki pulled Iona down to the now-luxuriously-comfortable floor with her now-completely-naked body. **

**She looked absolutely stunning, laid out before her like a sumptuous feast, flushed and bright eyed.**

**Without hesitation, she kissed down Iona’s stomach, sliding her shoulders between Iona’s legs. But before she indulged herself, her eyes flashed up, watching her fiancé through the long strands of her black hair and checking in again. She would not make the same mistakes ** ** _He _ ** **had made back in the throne room...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Test Thursday is here! Let us rejoice!**   



	10. Seduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki seduces Iona, and in the process, rouses some dormant tendencies in her. Both of them discover something new about each other.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

Iona's gaze locked with Loki, who's emerald eyes seemed to be asking her silently for permission... 

She bit her lip, still catching her breath. Instead of saying anything, she slowly spread her legs for her, exposing her slick, intimate parts to her. Her face burned as she did so, but for now, she somehow suppressed the urge to cover herself.

**It was all the invitation Loki needed.**

**She placed an open-mouthed kiss on Iona’s wet pussy, tasting her; by VALHALLA she was delicious! The honey-flavored liquid covered her tongue and lips, and she began drawing the tip of her tongue along the edges of Iona’s womanhood. **

**She gripped Iona’s hips firmly, preventing her from moving away, and ferociously devoured her with her mouth and tongue, sliding inside her, around her, over her clit, and back again. The resultant slurping and squelching sounds were obscene...and ** ** _wonderful._**

A desperate, high pitched shriek escaped Iona as Loki delved between her legs with a ferocity that had matched his actions in the throne room.

It was nearly scary, but also, so very arousing. 

She grasped the blankets, panting and moaning, calling Loki’s name repeatedly like it was the only word she knew.

**Ohhhh the ** ** _sound_ ** ** of Iona’s voice calling her name! Male, female, or anything in between, it didn’t matter - it drove Loki mad with desire.**

**For a while longer, she continued to attack Iona’s most sensitive spots with only her mouth, just REVELING in the sounds and scents and taste, feeling her own center growing wetter as Iona writhed and squirmed in her grip.**

**Finally, she slid two fingers inside Iona as she worked, her mouth sucking and nipping at her clit while she finger-fucked her with hard, strong strokes and pressed the pads of her fingers against her that deep pleasure spot inside her channel, feeling her coiling tighter.**

** _Come for me, darling_** **, Loki thought, as though merely saying it in her mind would make it happen.**

Iona's whole body seized as the waves of her orgasm hit her. She desperately grasped Loki's head and pressed herself to her mouth and fingers, crying out in ecstasy. 

"Oh Norns, Loki!" Sobs of intense pleasure escaped her as Loki kept pressing her tongue against her sensitive clit, prolonging her release to a point where it was almost painful.

**Loki moaned with pleasure and satisfaction as Iona came against her tongue, trying to catch her breath. She was vibrating with the intensity of taking Iona again.**

**What ** ** _was_ ** ** it about her that did this to her? She made Loki act irrationally, give in to all her urges, lose control when she PRIDED herself on control!**

**And yet...wasn’t it rather wonderful, in its own way?**

**With a final exhale, Loki adjusted herself and wiped her face with the blankets. Then, she crawled up to eye-level with Iona and laid down next to her, resting her head on her lover’s shoulder.**

**“How was that, dear?” she asked with a confident smirk.**

Iona swallowed hard, her breathing still laboured and loud. 

For a few moments, she just couldn't form words on her lips. Expressing it to Loki was difficult...

So she did what her body told her to do, she turned towards Loki and kissed her shyly, tasting herself on her tongue.

**Loki...was surprised. And delighted. She caressed Iona’s cheek and returned the kiss gently, moaning softly in response.**

**It was...nice. And easy. And so, so ** ** _soft_****.**

**For the love of the Nine, the Norns, and all the gods-of-gods...Loki wanted her. But she didn’t know how to encourage Iona to act. Or even IF Iona wanted to act.**

**Fine...if a cozy make out would be her only reward for Iona’s orgasm, so be it. With a small smile, she let her lover set the pace.**

Iona pressed her body to Loki's as she kissed her, her hands slowly exploring her. She had been told aplenty about how to serve her future husband well, but she was still very inexperienced in all things sexual. Especially with women.

Her hands cupped Loki's breasts, finding them surprisingly soft. This was such a departure from her male form, which was hard and muscular, and still, both forms were pleasing in their own ways.

Breaking the kiss, she stared into Loki's eyes, hitching a leg over hers. "Do you enjoy pleasure in this form more or in your male form?" she asked, genuinely curious.

**Loki blinked, then a smile spread across her face. She never thought she’d be asked a question like that - never thought she’d be WITH someone who would ask a question like that. Her heart fluttered, and for just a moment, her silvertongue failed her.**

**“Um...both are...well, both are great...” ** ** _Smooth_****, she chastised herself in her own mind, but she recovered quickly.**

**“That is to say, I enjoy pleasure in ** ** _any_ ** ** form...not so much more or less than another. I find being female is...more frightening, it’s so much more vulnerable. But I haven’t experienced as much as a female as I have as a male.” She blushed. “I suppose...there’s more to explore. If I have a partner who’s willing to explore it with me...”**

"As your wife, I suppose it _ is _my duty," Iona admitted, pinching Loki's nipple. 

Slowly, her hand travelled down to cup her between her legs, marveling at the feel of her silken flesh… the feminine folds. It had been so long since she had touched another woman like this, she almost couldn’t recall the experience.

She pushed a finger in while she watched Loki closely, liking the way her body reacted to it. She spread her legs and moved her hips in response, giving Iona an encouraging smile.

"If I don't satisfy you, let me know. This is still new to me," Iona whispered self-consciously, pulling her finger out and moving down Loki’s body.

She couldn't quite imitate what Loki had done to her, but she had to try. Spreading her legs wide, she planted a tentative kiss on her clit.

**Loki sucked in a shuddering breath when she pinched her nipple.**

**She began to shake when Iona put her hand between her legs.**

**And when Iona’s mouth found her center...it was like she’d died and gone to Valhalla.**

**“Oh, Iona...of course. Take your time, I’ll...** ** _oh NORNS._ ** **..let you know if I...have any advice...”**

**Loki hadn’t realized how intensely ** ** _aroused_ ** ** she was - she had been too focused on making sure Iona was comfortable, on trying to prove - with her actions and her words - that Iona could learn to trust her, someday.**

**And now...she found it hard to breathe. The sensations were overwhelming - ** ** _everything_ ** ** in her body was tingling and desperate.**

**Loki arched her back and moaned. The soft, hesitant touches were ambrosia!**

**“Doing well so far,” she managed to gasp.**

Iona somehow glowed with the praise she was receiving. It made her want to push herself harder to please Loki. It was an added pleasure that she tasted like a sweet treat. Did she do it by magic?

Her soft, nimble fingers slipped inside Loki's pussy again as she sucked on her clit. She tried to copy the action Loki had performed on her, curling her fingers inside her and pushing the tips up to caress her upper walls.

When Loki arched her back in response, she assumed she was doing something right. This was proving to be a fun learning experience, making Loki writhe in pleasure made her feel _ powerful_...

**“Ooooohhhh sweetling, you’re doing wonderfully. Press a little deeper...and move faster as you feel me...** ** _sweet, holy Yggdrasil._ ** **..start to squeeze you...”**

**Loki was nearly panting with desire, grabbing the blankets for dear life.**

Iona smiled to herself as she watched Loki lose herself to pleasure. She moaned against her clit, rubbing it with her tongue with a firm pressure. 

Her fingers tried to reach deeper, even though they weren’t as long as Loki's. She followed her instructions diligently... and then felt her channel squeeze her fingers.

**“** ** _Fuck_ ** **...” Loki whispered, well and truly overcome by what Iona was doing to her. Her heels dug into the carpeted floor as she lifted her hips, changing her angle to allow her fiancé better access.**

**“Iona...** ** _please_ ** **...”**

**The words slipped unbidden from her mouth, and even in her sex-induced haze, they surprised her. Loki had never, ** ** _never,_ ** ** begged.**

**What had this little minx DONE to her?!**

Iona felt the swell of pride enveloping her suddenly. She made Loki _ beg_... goodness, this was _ heady_.

She pulled away from her clit for a moment, asking her in a husky voice. "What do you _ want_, Loki?"

Her fingers kept working inside her, increasing their pace.

**Loki moaned needily, drawn out and utterly guileless. **

**“I.....I....”**

**She was trying...she was REALLY trying to say something, anything. But Iona’s movements shut her brain down - it was all lust and desire and the disabling urge for that impending completion...**

"Tell me you're a wanton whore for me," Iona murmured, looking right into her eyes, her gaze turning slightly malicious as she went back to sucking her clit.

**At Iona’s words, Loki’s whimpers turned to a growl. She groaned, and thrust her hips up into her lover’s mouth.**

**“I...am a ** ** _wanton_ ** ** whore...for you...Iona.”**

Oh, hearing that from the lips of her ruthless betrothed was… _ sweet_. And satisfying...

Iona hummed against her clit, sliding three fingers into her sopping wet pussy. She was drunk on the power she exerted now, and she knew that Loki was close.

Just as her fingers began to draw more of her slick from her like a brook, she felt Loki cry out and tighten around them like a vice.

**Loki’s moans turned to shrieks, feeling so full and stretched and open and...** ** _dominated_****. It broke her...in the most amazing way possible.**

**Loki orgasmed harder than she’d ever come in her over 1200 years of life. Her body felt electrocuted, fireworks exploded behind her eyes, she couldn’t control the volume of her voice, and the only thing she could think to say was “oh ** ** _NORNS _ ** **Iona!” over, and over again.**

**She rode out her pleasure on Iona’s hand and mouth, and she moved unthinkingly, instinctively. Her breathing melded with constant, panting moans, until she finally came down from the crest, sweating, exhausted, and thoroughly satisfied.**

**Her brain needed a moment to piece itself back together.**

Iona wiped her mouth clean and crawled back up to face Loki. She had a glazed, lost look on her face, and that look caused Iona's insides to curl in pleasure.

"You were such a good girl, Loki," she whispered to her, kissing her almost chastely. She nearly giggled with the surge of power she felt. "My sweet wanton whore."

**Loki shuddered, laughed, kind of cried, and moaned all at the same time. What an unusual feeling...amazing and powerful, to be sure, but very much ** ** _unlike_ ** ** anything she’d felt before. She...** ** _LOVED_ ** ** it. Ooooh, it was so heady...what had just happened?**

**“Sweet Valhalla, Iona. You’re a natural.” Loki giggled. “Call me whatever you want, just don’t ever deny me THAT again.”**

**Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. “Lady Iona?” It was the mousey servant girl’s voice...the same one Loki had pretended to be during the engagement party. “I’ve been asked to check on you...you’re late for your appointment with the florist. Will you be done soon?**”

Iona was startled. Suddenly, the bubble Loki had built around them burst, pulling her back to reality.

"No meetings, you said?” She narrowed her eyes at Loki, who simply grinned and shrugged. Pulling away from her, she scrambled to get up, searching for her dress. "And I probably look a fright!"

**Loki just smiled. “Shhhhh, it’s alright.” She took her hand and stood. Then, in a shower of gold, everything around them changed - the fitting room returned to its original state, Iona’s dress and hair were restored perfectly, her wedding dress reappeared on the mannequin...and Loki was a ** ** _king _ ** **once more.**

**“Go on - I’ll head out in a few minutes.” It took him by surprise for just a moment, hearing his deeper, masculine voice once again.**

Iona nodded, somehow feeling less bold in his male form's presence. He was much more intimidating than his female form.

"Thank you, Loki," she said, rising on her tiptoes to kiss him chastely on the cheek, "for fitting my wedding dress, however awful that attempt was."

He chuckled at that remark, and so did she.

**He held her gently to him by her waist, and gave her a soft kiss on the lips, still reeling from the orgasm she’d given him. And admittedly, seeing her in a new light.**

**“Thank you, sweetling,” he said, “for ** ** _everything_****. Now go on. I’ll meet you in the conference hall in a few minutes.”**

She blushed, feeling a bout of shyness wash over her again. "I’m not sure what you did to poor Willa, but please restore her as the head seamstress."

He snorted, quickly covering it up with a fake cough. Iona shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips as she slipped away from his hold.

As she reached the door and grasped its handle, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, opening her mouth to speak. “I don’t hate you, Loki, if you must know. Well, unless you’re being a cad. I admit, I used to say a lot of awful things to you in the past, but that was mostly to get a rise out of you.”

She turned her head and looked at him over her shoulder, seeing his brows rising as he heard her confession.

“I champion you because you don’t deserve the ire of your people, which is often rooted in falsities. You’re their king, and you ought to be uplifted rather than put down in their eyes. The reasons for our differences are _ personal_, and they should never reflect on you as a ruler and sovereign.”

With that, she opened the door and walked out, nodding to the servant girl in greeting. 

**Loki blinked, stunned into silence as Iona left. He had an odd feeling in his chest...she was right, of course. But he’d never expected it from her - or ** ** _anyone_ ** **, for that matter. For so long, he had been tied up in his family drama; he’d forgotten that he ever ** ** _could_ ** ** be redeemed in the eyes of his citizens. But she hadn’t...she never had. Suddenly, he felt so differently about her. He ** ** _respected _ ** **her, and her abilities as a Queen.**

**And there was something else. It wasn’t just the sex or the world-ending orgasm...they’d had a real ** ** _moment_****.**

**They’d both made discoveries, shared secrets, experienced new and strange feelings. It wasn’t love - though, who was he to say what love felt like? No, it was...a beginning.**

**A beginning, he realized, that they may very well have the rest of their lives to play out.**

**After musing for several more minutes, he exited the fitting room, heading to the council room where his betrothed, and a cadre of wedding planners, awaited him.**

**And, for the first time, he was actually excited about marrying her.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Latent_Thoughts: In the words of my esteemed co-author, EmeraldRoseQuartz:  
**Give Thanks, Bitches! Double post!**  



	11. Sobriquet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tis the day of the wedding...

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

Iona stood by the window overlooking the Observatory and the Upphiminn. The view from here - her new royal chambers - was quite spectacular.

It was essentially the same view that Loki’s royal chambers had.

Her old chambers hadn’t the same grand view, simply overlooking the little cobblestoned paths alongside the palace, it’s boundaries, and the parts of the Capital that lay ahead.

The change of view was just many of the many changes occurring in her life now...

She was to be wed to Loki _ today _ , and she was to be a queen. Not just any queen, the _ Allmother _ . It was quite overwhelming to imagine being someone _ that _important and powerful. 

While Iona had been literally pushed by her parents to develop intimate and warm relations with the Asgardian royal family, she hadn’t actually believed that it would lead to her becoming the _ queen _.

Moreso, it wasn’t the warmth and intimacy that had gotten her here… it was the _ animosity _. Funny, how that worked out...

While being the queen’s lady-in-waiting had earned her many benefits and luxuries, Iona had kind of given up on the true ambition of her parents long ago, for Thor had hardly ever shown any interest in her.

Loki, on the other hand, had shown absolutely the _ wrong _kind of interest in her. And hence, this day and all the weeks leading up to it sometimes felt like a fever dream to her.

“Your grace?”

Iona turned away from the window and faced one of her newly appointed handmaidens. “Yes?”

She smiled at her tentatively. “It’s time. We are to escort you to the ceremonial dais.”

Iona nodded, feeling her heart flutter in her chest like a restless bird. It wasn’t the ceremony that made her nervous, though. It was her would-be-husband.

After all, she had done a neat job of subtly teasing him all these weeks, without letting herself fall within arm’s reach of him. She had been deliberately avoiding him for the past few weeks leading up to the wedding, wishing to see how far he'd accommodate her, how far his patience would stretch. So far, he had been doing fabulously well… even though she had begun to see the signs of frustration on his striking face.

It had been such fun, sending teasing smiles his way when they were in public, then vanishing into her rooms when he looked like he'd seek her out.

Today would mark the end of all that, and Loki would have full access to her. She wondered how he’d act… she wondered how he’d _ be _as a husband…

The past few months, _ many _people had come to her, offering advice and wisdom on Loki. What they had imparted was mostly prejudice, often laced with pity for her sake. In that vein, Loki ought to be an evil and cruel husband, not to mention, an utterly despotic ruler.

_ Well _ , she thought mordantly, a slight smirk forming on her lips, _ poor me and Asgard… _

“Let’s go,” she said to the handmaiden, taking a deep breath and gathering her heavy skirts in her hands. “Don’t let me fall; this dress makes me quite ungainly.”

—_ Hours...upon HOURS...later— _

**Finally, the ceremony was over.**

**When they’d begun, Loki had been collected and calm...but as the tedious display of Asgardian wealth and tradition rolled on, his patience grew thinner and thinner. Not just because he detested these long, drawn-out royal ceremonies - weddings in ** ** _particular _ ** **\- but because his now-** ** _wife_ ** ** would be meeting him in ** ** _their_ ** ** chambers for the first time, to consummate their marriage, and he could hardly contain himself.**

**Iona had been ** ** _brutal_ ** **. Ruthless in her steadfast resolve. Loki had never matched against a foe quite as unyielding as ** ** _her_ ** **.**

**Not once. Since the fitting. Did they fuck.**

**Not one single ** ** _Norns-forsaken_ ** ** time.**

**She hadn’t even allowed him a sneaky touch here and there!**

**At first, when she had told him that she planned to wait until the wedding night, he thought she was jesting. He ** ** _swore _ ** **she was jesting. How could she? ** ** _Why_ ** ** would she?! It seemed an awful sacrifice to make for the sake of ** ** _propriety_ ** **.**

**But no. She had brushed off all his advances, ignored his pleas, and deflected his attempts to have a ** ** _rational_ ** ** conversation with her regarding the matter. She had avoided him actively - he knew that it was because she ** ** _herself _ ** **was struggling with the decision, he just ** ** _knew_ ** ** it. In the slight glimpses he was able to catch between his leadership duties and her planning, she gave him maddeningly flirtatious looks. Once, she even winked! The audacity of it was both infuriating...and ** ** _begrudgingly _ ** **impressive.**

**But today was the day. The ceremony was over, the reception feast had ended. The time had come. And Loki, King of Asgard, Allfather, God of Mischief and Lies, was about to FUCK the living daylights out of his wife.**

Iona was preparing herself for the night with her handmaidens after the wedding feast had been concluded. _ Finally! _

She was honest to goodness feeling _ exhausted _. Who decided that weddings had to take a whole damn day?

Her handmaidens pulled her hair from its braids and combed it till it fell to her upper thighs in long mahogany waves. They then applied some kind of scented potion to it. It smelled like sandalwood and wildflowers. 

She shrugged, it was pleasant enough.

Finally, they provided her with a special nightwear for tonight. She looked at it with confusion.

It was mostly just lace with no lining, short and scandalously translucent. One of the handmaidens giggled at her confusion, telling her that the queen mother had specially selected it for her. For her wedding night.

Norns, why did the queen mother have to intervene like this? The thought of Frigga paying mind to her and Loki’s wedding night was… nothing short of _ disturbing _.

While she dressed herself in the _ barely-there _ garment, she learned, courtesy the handmaidens, that it was an age-old tradition on Vanaheim - the queen mother’s native realm. The groom's mother selected the bride’s nightwear for her wedding night. 

Strange traditions...

Still, Iona smiled impishly as she looked at herself in the mirror. Loki would probably hit the roof upon seeing her like this.

She wondered what he'd do tonight. Whether he'd beg for her or whether he'd assert himself.

The latter thought filled her stomach with butterflies, dousing her in a rush of arousal. 

When she finally entered their nuptial chambers, through a passage that now connected their personal rooms, she found him reclining on a sofa, sipping wine.

**He knew she was coming. She would be walking through that door any minute. And he would simply relax in his silk robe, and lounge, and drink his wine, and look at her almost disinterestedly, then say, “Oh? Is now the time? Very well, I suppose.”**

**Then she walked in...in ** ** _THAT _ ** **outfit. And all of his plans went out the window.**

**Loki blanched. ** ** _Keep. Your shit. Together._ **

**He tried his absolute best. But within a second, the bottom of his wine glass snapped off at the stem, caught between his suddenly rigid fingers. He didn’t even look over - the only sign he realized what happened was a brief look of embarrassment as the base of it shattered on the floor. He sat stock still, now holding a broken glass of wine that he could no longer set down. **

**“Uhhmm...hi.”**

** _Damn everything to Hel..._ **

Iona watched him carefully, nervously picking at the lace of the gown. 

"Hi..." she said, looking over at the snapped stem of the glass, which now lay on the floor. "Umm... I think your glass broke."

She let out a giggle as he looked down at the glass in his hands, as if silently cursing it to Helheim.

**With a flick of his finger, the broken glass on the floor floated up and reattached itself, piece by piece, to the stem. When it was done, he took a sip, placed it on the side table - which also included a second glass and the wine bottle - and walked up to her.**

**“Iona, you look-” he swallowed hard “-lovely, darling. May I get you a drink?”**

"Thank you, _ husband _, you don't look bad yourself, if I may say so," she replied, stepping closer to him. "But I must ask... is it your plan to get me inebriated tonight?"

She brushed a hand to his chest, noticing how his eyes kept straying to her breasts, which were barely covered by the intricate lace. The attention made her nipples taut with anticipation.

** _My plan is to fuck you to within an inch of your life..._ ** ** a dark voice said in his head. He chuckled and shook it off.**

**"Of course not. But this is a beautiful vintage - I've been saving it for tonight. I'd be honoured if you'd share it with me."**

"_ Please _ , I think I've been very _ thirsty _ since the morn," she said with a mischievous smile, stepping by to head over to the sofa. She made sure to sway her hips as she went along. 

She had learned all of this flirty nonsense back in her youth, and now, she finally had the chance to use it on a man. On her _ husband _...

**He’d never admit it to her, and he prayed to whatever gods-of-gods were listening that she didn’t see it, but his hands shook as he poured her that glass of wine.**

**Hands that had remained steady as he had taken the Casket of Ancient Winters and faced the harsh truth of his reality. That never faltered when battling Dark Elves or Frost Giants, or even Thor. Hands that wielded some of the most powerful seidr in the Nine Realms with precision and grace.**

**They shook for her.**

**But only for as long as it took to pour her wine. As the glass filled up, he utilized his training methods as a sorcerer to calm and center his mind.**

**Then, he brought both glasses in his now-steady hands to her, sitting as gracefully as he could manage. He handed the wine to her, then raised his chalice with all the grace and airs of a born royal.**

**“To us, sweetling.”**

"To us," she repeated, then frowned a little. "You call me _ sweetling _... but I don't have sobriquet for you, Loki. That seems unfair."

She took a sip of the wine, enjoying the burst of flavours on her tongue as she gazed at him expectantly. 

"Help me out a bit... will you? What do you prefer? Love? Honey? Dear heart? _ My ravisher _?" She tried her best to keep a straight face at the last one.

**And he tried his best to keep the wine in his mouth when she said it.**

**Fortunately, this time he succeeded in preventing an embarrassing gaffe. But he was ** ** _very_ ** ** close to ending this little charade...her teasing was absolutely ** ** _maddening_ ** **. He closed his eyes and took a long, steady breath, regaining his control.**

**When his eyes opened, they were focused and lusty. Sharp green irises stared at her through hooded lids, and the tell-tale lopsided smirk pulled up the corner of his mouth.**

**"Perhaps we should try a few out..."**

She sipped her wine demurely, noticing the shift in his demeanour as he gave her a decidedly predatory look. She shivered and pressed her thighs together.

Maybe she had pushed him too far?

"Like...?"

**"** ** _Sir_ ** **?"**

**He leaned in, smoothly placing his glass on the side table as he closed the distance between them. **

**"Mayhap...** ** _your majesty_ ** **?"**

**His forehead touched hers, and his gaze bore into her soul.**

**"Or how about...** ** _DADDY_ ** **."**

"D-Daddy?" she squeaked, staring into his mesmerizing green eyes. "Is... is that not a Midgardian word for _ father _?"

The wine glass trembled in her hold, essentially forgotten.

**He took the glass from her, with the same panther-like grace he'd shown her before, his long arms easily reaching the table without him needing to move an inch away from her face.**

**"You like the sound of it."**

**It wasn't a question.**

"_ Daddy _..." 

She spoke softly, almost a whisper, testing the word on her tongue. It... confused her. Why was it sounding so _ salacious _all of a sudden?

She tilted her head sideways, looking at him uncertainly. "Daddy?"

**He would have purred if he'd had the capability. The word made something rumble within him, both predatory and protective. He closed his eyes and stretched his neck, like he was trying it on to see how it fit. Though, to be fair, he'd always known he'd like it.**

**"Yes, sweetling...and how about I call you ** ** _baby girl._ ** ** Do you like that?”**

**He didn't know where this was coming from - it was likely because of his long period of forced chastity. This wasn't his normal way, but ** ** _by the Norns_ ** ** did it feel good to say those words.**

"Is that supposed to be another sobriquet for me?" she asked, honestly curious about these strange Midgardian terms. "Why does it sound so... so _ forbidden _?"

She fidgeted a bit in her seat, suddenly feeling too hot. Her eyes lowered then, unable to handle the heat of his gaze.

**He lifted her chin, bringing her eyes back to him. “Nothing is forbidden between us anymore. You do ** ** _something _ ** **to me, Iona. You infuriate me, you confuse me, you ** ** _torture _ ** **me...”**

**He leaned over further, caging her body on the sofa, nose to nose with her.**

**“And I love every moment of it.”**

**His lips met hers, then, and he claimed her mouth deeply, passionately, and with such need that he nearly lost his breath.**

She grasped his hair and ran her fingers through it as she kissed him back, the urgency in the moment so palpable, she thought it _ tangible _.

A moan slipped from her lips as his tongue danced alongside hers, tasting of wine and something that was uniquely _ Loki _.

Her legs spread on their own as he insinuated himself between them, growling into her mouth when he pressed against her core.

Heat was radiating from her center, and she was sure that he could feel how aroused she was.

**He loved the feel of the lace against his skin. His silk robe began to loosen, and he cradled her head with one hand while his other came down to her breast. He squeezed it generously, rolling her nipple between his fingers and smiling against her mouth when she arched against him.**

**“There’s my ** ** _good girl_ ** **...”**

"Loki... please," she mumbled breathily, trying to gain purchase on the silk of his robe. "T-Take me... _ Daddy _."

The word, the _ sobriquet _, still felt a bit strange on her tongue, but somehow, she wanted to try it out on him...

**“Mmmmmhm,” Loki didn’t know why, but he loved the way that word sounded - so wrong and strange - coming from her, and yet such a perfect fit...with her scared amber eyes looking to him for assurance that he would push her but not break her.**

**And so he kissed her again, letting his lips silently give her that tender assurance.**

**He removed the robe without stopping their kiss, leaning his muscled chest against hers, the lace of her lingerie driving him wild. It rubbed against his nipples and they hardened at the unique and pleasurable sensation.**

**Slowly, he reached between her legs...only to find not a scrap of lacy underwear or any other undergarment covering her. He pulled back from their kiss for just a moment to stare at her incredulously.**

**“Oh, baby girl...so full of surprises...”**

**Before she could answer, he pushed two fingers inside her and pressed his thumb to her clit, circling with exactly the right amount of pressure.**

**His body hummed with latent energy that yearned to explode within her at the next possible opportunity.**

Iona arched her back as he stoked the fire within her like an expert. Her legs spread further, giving him all the access he needed. 

Her whole body felt so sensitive... the lace rubbing all over, teasing her flesh, making her nearly whine in need. "I... I was advised to remove my underclothes..." she gasped as he touched that secret spot inside her. "A-Are you pleased?"

A part of her was still a bit miffed that _ he _ was in so much control, and _ she _ was the one who was feeling an utter lack of it now. After _ weeks _of her blatant teasing... 

**“My sweet girl, you are the most beautiful, delicious creature I have ever known. Your skin is smoother than the finest silk. Your eyes sparkle like honey in sunlight. And your body turns me into a man possessed.”**

**He pulled his hand from her quickly, making her cry out, but just as suddenly, he replaced it with his desperate, throbbing cock, thick and full from weeks of agonizing patience and torturous longing. Feeling her walls around him again switched something in his brain...**

**His pupils blew black as he looked back down at her, a feral and wild expression tainting his sharp features with an animalistic drive.**

**“Yes, Iona. I am ** ** _very_ ** ** pleased.”**

**And then he took her. ** ** _Hard_ ** **.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just leaving these obligatory gifs here... for _reasons_.  
  



	12. Consummation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wedding night is filled with passion, but what would the morning after bring?

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

Iona whimpered and whined when he thrust into her, taking her in long, hard strokes like the ravishing beast that she had dared to call him as a sobriquet.

Her amber eyes sought his green ones as he pushed her whole body against the sofa with every thrust. But now... his eyes weren't so much green as they were black, rimmed with the thinnest ring of vibrant emerald and completely taken with lust. 

The sight... was almost shocking and scary. _ Despite _sending a shot of erotic thrill through her, making her slicker.

The sofa shook with the power of his movements, pulling a string of _ 'oofs' _from her throat. She tried her best to take it, shivering as he kept brushing repeatedly against her pleasure points. 

Oh, but his thrusts were also becoming nearly brutal, sure to bruise her if he didn't slow down a bit.

"Loki! _ D-Daddy _ ..." she moaned, clutching at his arms, squeezing them in her desperation. " _ Husband_... please s-slow...down."

Her legs wrapped around his hips and tried to hold him captive, but _ Norns_, he was near unstoppable.

**Loki was feeling somewhat feverish, encased as he was in the hot, wet heat of his wife. She was trying to hold him inside her, and yet he was still moving, still pushing his cock into her despite her protests.**

**Lust was part of it, but it wasn’t the only thing pushing him to possess her as such. Some powerful instinct had come to the fore, pushing him to prove his prowess as a lover, to show her that only ** ** _he _ ** **could claim her like this…**

**He was growling deep in his chest, a sound very unlike him - the ** ** _civil _ ** **him, that is. He was entranced by this feeling… so much that, at first, he couldn’t even hear her pleading.**

**Only when her voice grew frantic did he take notice...**

**Though his visage never lost the sheen of madness and uncontrollable lust, his expression softened slightly.**

**His pace evened out, taking longer, steady strokes in and out of her. Less of a gorging and more of an ** ** _indulgence_****, but with the same fiery energy. Slowed, but not at all stopped.**

**“Yes, of course, little one. Whatever you desire. Tell me what you crave, and it will be yours. My beautiful queen...”**

**She was ** ** _his_****, and he would give her anything she wanted. Tonight. Every night. For eternity…**

**His own thoughts shocked him. He didn't know where they were coming from, but they were ringing true in his head.**

"Oh Norns," Iona moaned, this time with unbridled desire as his strokes touched her just right, bringing her closer and closer to her release. She moved with him, matching his rhythm, making it her own...

Her hands left his arms and caressed his chest and abdomen in a reverent manner. She was filled with wonder at his chiselled body - lean and muscular, and _ so _beautiful. 

He was dangerous, that much she knew... but he was also utterly _ disarming_.

"T-Take me, husband," she said with a tremor in her voice, staring right into his eyes as she brushed her thumbs over his nipples. An intense blush came over her whole face as she spoke the next words to him in an almost whisper. "I might fight you, but please, make me your _ wanton whore_. I’m yours… only _ yours _..."

It was a ridiculous confession, considering what he had compelled her to say in the throne room only a few months ago. But… somehow, this had become a play of words between both of them, and she loved the idea of playing a tug-of-war with him to see who might make the other say them.

** _Only yours…_ **

**The words resonated through him like a vibrating tone. Yes, ** ** _only his_****. And her saying those words… _'_****_wanton whore’..._ ** **it only made him want her more.**

**Without removing himself from her, he wrapped his arms around her body and lifted her from the couch. He used his invading cock to hold her up, practically resting her on it as he took them to the bed.**

**The movement of walking with her still clenched around him triggered another bestial urge, one that threatened to undo him and turn him into a raging madman. But then he looked forward, saw her soft, ** ** _wanton_ ** ** face, and he was able to keep just the slightest amount of control.**

**He set her on the bed with a slow, deep thrust.**

She was gripping his shoulders hard as he carried her to the bed. Each step pushed him inside her, making her involuntarily tighten around him.

Never once did he take his manhood out of her. And once abed, he thrust deep, all the while possessing her with his penetrating gaze.

She tried to move with him, but he simply pinned her down on the bed with his body and forced her hands beside her head.

**Loki’s head swam with the potent sensations of having Iona - his wife, his queen, ** ** _HIS_ ** ** \- open and taking him into her hot pussy. It was wet, slick with her need...** ** _for_ ** ** him.**

**Possessive and protective urges continued to pulse through him, along with the almost insatiable need to make her scream his name. He kept up the slow but unrelenting pace, watching every beautiful, desperate expression that crossed her face - so innocent and inexperienced and overwhelmed by what he did to her.**

**He hardly blinked, taking in the view with an almost obsessive need, and he brought his hand down to her clit again, this time rolling her glistening pearl between his fingers and pulling gently as he pushed in and out of her.**

Iona shook as he toyed with her swollen nub, stroking and pulling and driving her insane with desire...

Small, keening sounds came from her throat, desperate and needy. She wanted more, but at the same time, didn't know what exactly _ more _ was.

"Please," she sobbed, wanting to move to alleviate the sensation of being so full. His girth was stretching her so obscenely. 

Loki didn't let her move as he held her captive beneath his body, torturing her slowly, driving her to lust-filled madness.

Oh, in a way this was more wicked than how he took her in the throne room...

**“Are you ready?” His voice sounded almost otherworldly, disconnected. He was so lost in her, and the feelings she made him experience...both the physical and the emotional. **

**Grinding at that same unyielding, slow pace, he felt like he could go for hours, indulging in her sweet sounds and tight body.**

Iona nodded, her mouth parting open as she panted in need.

Why was he going at such a leisurely pace? She had asked him to slow down, but not _ this _much. This was most frustrating.

**He began to speed up. Slowly, at first, but after each thrust, the next came more quickly. And the next. And the next. And the next.**

**He bent over her and took her head in his hand, still fondling her with the other, but using the position to increase his speed and keep her where he needed her to be.**

**And he needed her now. ** ** _Badly_****.**

**Another few moments, and he was rutting her like a beast, grunting, staring into her eyes and watching her come apart in his arms, drinking in the sweet music of her impassioned cries and feeling his heart thunder in his chest.**

**Suddenly, the hours he felt he had earlier became seconds...**

Iona was staring into her husband's eyes in a daze. Her own amber ones were glassy and tear-stained. 

He was putting her through so much... she was unable to take it, and hence, she was sobbing and crying as she came, still trapped in his hypnotic gaze.

He kept rutting into her throughout it, intensifying the sensations tenfold. All she could do was writhe and shriek his name, helpless in his iron-like hold.

When he finally began to throb inside her, he growled and thrust so deep that she thought he'd break her.

**He held his forehead to hers as he came, holding her for dear life as WEEKS of waiting finally paid off. The release was SO intense, he felt his legs shake and his body strain as his seed exploded into her, again, and again.**

**There was a small, funny thought in the back of his mind that, were he not inside her, the mess he’d need to clean up would be impressive… then he realized he may have judged too quickly.**

**His spend filled her completely, and soon was spilling out of her and onto the sheets of the bed. It dripped down his thighs and over his balls, and STILL, he was not done spurting into her squelching, dripping pussy.**

**With a shuddering groan, when at last he was spent, he held himself in her, feeling both of them shake like leaves on an autumn tree.**

Iona's eyes fluttered close as she experienced yet another orgasm the moment Loki began to spill inside her. Her voice was weak now, after crying out for so long.

All she could do was shiver in sexual surrender as her husband marked her with his seed.

When all was over, she tried to catch her breath and regain some of her sanity. Her hands slowly slipped into his hair, enjoying its softness as he lay atop her. Without a deliberate thought, she started massaging his scalp.

**In the after-sex haze, he panted in relief and satisfaction. He tried to move, tried to stand...nothing happened. So, he relaxed on top of her, still inside her, reveling in the warmth of her channel around his spent manhood.**

**Then...he felt her fingers moving through his hair, her nails scraping along his scalp, and he keened at the sensation, practically whimpering at how good it felt. He nuzzled his head against her hand, his body still buzzing and overstimulated.**

**He tried to form words, to check in with her, but his thoughts were mist in a storm. The only thing his mind could register of the outside world was the heat of her body against his and her fingers running through his raven locks.**

Her eyelids felt droopy soon enough, the exhaustion of the day catching up with her. She felt the different aches beginning to manifest in her body, but this time, she welcomed them.

"Loki..." she said softly, her voice scratchy and feeble. "We need to clean up, I think... we made a mess."

She felt wet and sticky, and yet, Loki was still resting inside her, not making any move to pull out...

**“Mmmmm-mmm nooo…” was all he could respond with. Her fingers in his hair and the general exhaustion hadn’t released their hold on his mind and body. He felt like he was quickly dissolving to jelly.**

**And he was in no rush to remove himself from the heated sheath around his cock.**

**His sense of smell seemed heightened as well, and the alluring floral scents of her hair kept him in an inundated state, content in his happy bubble of bliss.**

Iona sighed and wiggled under him, gasping as more of his seed dripped out of her. The sensation was a bit ticklish, and it only increased her squirming. Involuntarily, her inner walls squeezed around his length.

Instead of massaging, she now pulled at his hair. "Loki, please..."

**Loki furrowed his brow and groaned like a stubborn child, eyes still closed. He was regressing, it seemed.**

**He was just able to pull enough thoughts together to draw seidr, and with a quick and sloppy incantation, he cast a cleaning spell between them. The mess evaporated from them...but he stayed inside her.**

**“Better?” he mumbled into the crook of her neck, the sound muffled by her skin and hair.**

"Mmhmm," she hummed, greatly relieved to not be feeling sticky and wet. "Thank you… _ Daddy _."

She resumed massaging his scalp, deciding that she'd keep at it till she fell asleep. 

She wanted to ask him why he wasn't pulling out of her, but somehow, having him weigh her down was sort of a pleasure in itself. She blushed as she pictured it in her head - him lying atop her with his manhood deep inside her, falling asleep like that.

It was a strange intimacy...

**His only response was a dark chuckle, and within minutes, the most peaceful, deep sleep of his life overtook him.**

* * *

Iona woke up to the sun shining bright... _ right _into her face. She squinted and tried to turn away from it, cursing the person who had pulled the curtains of her bedroom open. 

Except... this wasn't her old bedroom, and the person she was cursing was most likely her _ husband_.

Her eyes snapped open suddenly, and she tried to sit up in the bed - a picture of utter gracelessness. Well, she _ was _a morning person, but only when her body wasn't feeling as though it had been dragged through wilds of Vanaheim. 

That's exactly how she felt right now, for Loki's sexual attentions had tested certain limits of her body. The sweet ache between her legs was a testament to that.

She blushed as she remembered it all, sitting in the middle of his humongous bed... all bare and bedraggled. 

Loki wasn't in bed, and that made her curious. Just as she was thinking about going in search of him, he stepped into the bedroom, fully dressed and ready for the day. Norns, he looked so very handsome in that leather and armour combination...

She bit her lip as she drank in the view that he presented, her eyes roving over his form repeatedly. Was it too much to hope that he wouldn't notice?

**Loki adjusted his vambrace as he returned to his - ** ** _their - _ ** **chambers, ensuring it was fastened correctly so it wouldn’t twist throughout the day. His mind was churning, considering what duties he would need to tackle first, when movement on his ** ** _\- their - _ ** **bed caught his eye. He glanced up, seeing Iona sitting in a messy pile of his ** ** _\- their - _ ** **blankets and blinking sleepily at him.**

**Norns, all this sharing they’d be doing going forward was going to take some getting used to.**

**He smiled and approached her, planting a soft kiss on her cheek.**

**“Good morning, darling. Sleep well?”**

Iona smiled shyly, her eyes downcast. This sudden burst of affection from him was... making her feel all funny in her stomach. It was strange and unexpected, for she hadn't known him like this at all...

"I don't really remember falling asleep. Did you sleep well?" She finally looked up and met his gaze, the blush returning to her cheeks as he tried to smooth the mess of her hair. "And why are you up and about at this hour?"

**“I remember still being fully hilted inside you when I drifted off, yes...” He smirked as the light blush in her cheeks turned brick red, and he sat down on the bed next to her, putting an arm around her shoulders and squeezing her close, careful not to press her delicate skin too roughly against the metallic reinforcements on his surcoat.**

**“Then I slept quite well. And I’m usually up and about at this hour. I have duties to attend to - I’m the Allfather, after all. Or had you forgotten?”**

"No, I didn't forget," she murmured, trying her best to not turn any redder. When he mentioned being inside her... damnit, her cheeks felt like they had caught fire. "I thought that you deserved some rest on the following morn to your wedding. Everyone needs some time off from their duties, or else they become quite dull."

**He laughed at that, then kissed the top of her head and stood. “Of all the things you need worry about with me, I believe ‘becoming dull’ is far down that proverbial list, sweetling.”**

**He grabbed a pastry from the tray of breakfast he had brought in before she woke and polished it off with a few quick bites. “Besides, I have worked too hard, too recently, to achieve this venerable position, and it would be unwise to rest on my laurels as of yet. I’ve been King for less than a year, and my transition has been tumultuous at best. My priority has to be establishing myself and my alliances as quickly as possible. Then, perhaps in a century or so, my rulership will be stable enough so that I may consider taking some time for relaxation.”**

**He brought the tray to her so she could select something to eat, watching her eyes calculatingly. “Don’t you agree? It’s why I had us married so quickly - to further solidify my position.”**

She selected a shortbread from the array. It was a half-hearted attempt, at best. 

"I understand." She took a little bite of it and then sighed. He was right, indeed. "So, do you have many such engagements today? Will you not attend the morning after feast? It is an age old tradition that the newly weds attend the feast together."

**He sighed, leaving the tray on his...** ** _their_ ** **...bed and taking a few steps away from it. He could already tell where this was going.**

**“Unfortunately, dear, I must meet with the Vanir nobles before they depart - they are my closest allies and even ** ** _that _ ** **relationship is tenuous. It’s the only opportunity I’ll have to see them all personally, and if I declined the invitation...”**

**He could feel her eyes boring furiously into him, even as his back was to her. Oh Norns...she was taking this badly...**

Iona's forehead creased in suppressed annoyance as she considered his words. "So... you'll just leave me alone to handle it all? I mean, it's not that I cannot handle it, but it will look very strange and unseemly. People will gossip..."

She dearly wished that people didn't gossip, but they did. Especially the nobles of Asgard.

Norns only knew how she'd navigate it all without his presence. It would be painfully obvious that attending the wedding celebrations weren’t his priority. That would reflect badly on their newly forged marriage and may even fuel the rumours that it was a marriage of convenience.

"At least come with me to the feast and say a word or two about why you must leave early...?"

**“I...we are scheduled to meet before the morning after feast begins. In just a few more minutes, in fact...”**

**He turned to face her again and opened his arms, giving his best and most persuasive smile. “And you’ll do marvelously, darling. My mother will be there, as will Thor. They will certainly keep you company in my absence. And you’re an expert at navigating these social situations - it’s the main reason I chose you to be my wife.”**

**He’d meant it to be a compliment, but the fury and consternation that she now expressed made him feel like it may not have come off that way...**

Iona pushed the tray of food away, feeling as though her appetite had been murdered. 

"Of course, it was easy to forget _ that _ in all these crazed months leading up to the wedding." _ It was easy to forget it when you were holding me so amorously... _

She felt her face heat up again. Though _ this _time, it wasn't driven by self-consciousness or shyness. 

She rose from the bed and donned her flimsy nightgown again. With as much grace and temperance as she could muster, she marched towards the bathroom, not giving him a second glance. "Then I shall attend to my duties. Wouldn't want to disappoint you or make you second-guess about your choice of wife."

**“Iona...” Loki whined. “You know that’s ** ** _not _ ** **what I meant.” Norns, this is NOT how he wanted this morning to go. He followed her into the bathroom, arms still open in a negotiatory, pleading manner.**

**“I’m just doing what is required of me! Don’t you think I’d prefer to be enjoying my wedding breakfast? With you?”**

She started running a bath for herself, pretty much turning her back on him. She didn't want to face him. Didn't want to let him see how upset she was. 

On one had, she understood that a king had important duties to attend to... but on the other hand, this was her morning after feast, the _ only _ one she'd get in her lifetime (lest things headed towards Helheim), and her husband had just pulled out of it as if it meant _ nothing _to him.

"Aren't you getting late for that all important meeting, _ sire_? The Vanir nobles will be cross if you keep them waiting, that much even I know."

**Loki sighed with just the hint of a frustrated growl. “Look, darling. I’ll make it up to you. Somehow. But please don’t be upset. You’ll have so much on your plate soon, you’ll understand.”**

**He approached her to try and give her a kiss on the cheek, but she turned her shoulder and spurned his advances. He felt that very familiar mix of anger and guilt begin to percolate...an emotion that was somewhat new, yet more prevalent since he’d been engaged to Iona.**

**“Fine,” he said softly. “I’ll see you this evening, when we bid our guests farewell. I hope that by then you’ll realize how childish you’re being.”**

**Before she could stab him with some hurtful retort, he left and headed for the council chambers, very much NOT in the mood to be the Allfather right now.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope guys enjoyed this chapter. A bit of a delay happened, because I (Latent) had a power outage and my connection was acting up.  
We love you all and your comments brighten our days like magic. Thank you so much. <3


	13. Patience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iona braves the feast alone, and it doesn't improve her mood at all.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Frigga's/Thor's/Loki's POV (respectively)_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

When Iona emerged from her royal chambers, bedecked in a golden dress and sparkling adornments, she didn't let anyone suspect that she had cried in her bath. 

How  _ childish  _ of her indeed... to just have some simple hopes and wishes, and then have them trampled upon. 

Well, she was expected to act like a poised, graceful lady. A  _ Queen _ . And thus, here she was, presenting herself at the morning after feast, appearing unperturbed at the conspicuous absence of her husband, the Allfather.

She greeted everyone with a genial smile, even the ones who made pointed comments about Loki not being present at such an important feast. This was her duty, and she didn't want to fail at it, lest she be accused of being incompetent along with being childish. 

At least the queen mother gave her understanding looks. She even tried to steer the conversation away from Loki and his indecorous absence. But it was nigh impossible to do so, as this was  _ his  _ morning after feast as well, not just Iona's.

**Frigga surveyed the gathered guests, not blind to their hushed conversations and guarded glances. She sat tall, hands resting regally in her lap, her new daughter-in-law to her right and her eldest son to her left. She’d asked that the King’s chair be removed once she’d learned he would be unable to attend, and while there was no longer a painfully obvious vacant seat at the head table, the sense of absence pervaded the hall.**

**Thor ate quietly, all too aware of how unusual and uncomfortable it was, and not as socially adept at handling these kinds of things as his brother. Frigga kept him in the corner of her eye, trying to stay alert to any potential disturbances that might come from him. But he’d been silent since the feast began - a rather noticeable difference from his usual demeanor at feasts. It spoke to the awkwardness of the moment...but it wasn’t a crisis, simply a mood.**

**Iona, on the other hand, had been talking genially with everyone who approached to congratulate her and her absent husband on yesterday’s wedding. Frigga was quite proud of how she was handling this - in all their years together, Iona was always one to put on a brave face and soldier forth.**

**It was a relief to know that her precocious youngest son was tied to such a strong-willed partner.**

**But the strain of it wasn’t completely hidden to the Queen Mother - Iona’s smile looked somewhat forced, and her words did not flow as easily as they might were she relaxed. She also had hardly eaten any of her food.**

**Frigga leaned over to whisper once Iona’s most recent well-wisher took their leave, hoping to lighten the mood.**

**“So...did you like the outfit I selected for your wedding night?”**

Iona was glad that she wasn't eating or drinking anything right then, for she'd have choked on it. The question, asked so plainly, set her thoughts ablaze. And with warring emotions. 

"I did," she answered in a whisper, still keeping a wooden smile on her face. "Your son liked it as well, perhaps even more so than me."

She knew that she was being cheeky, but what could she do? She needed to focus on something amusing. Otherwise, her internal struggles were threatening to overflow, considering the veiled jibes she had had to endure in the two hours or so.

**“Yes, well, I’m certain it was a similar reaction to when Odin saw me in it on our wedding night, rest his soul. I thought it would be an appropriate homage.”**

**Frigga primly picked up her teacup and took a sip while Iona composed herself following that tidbit of information.**

_ Dear Norns.. _ . Iona wondered how Loki would react to that bit of information. Might just burn the nightgown down to dust...

She kept a straight face in response, knowing that Frigga had lobbed her attempts of cheekiness back at her. Well, she had been her mentor for so long... she was far better at these verbal tricks than her. 

"I'm certain that His Majesty will be quite pleased to learn about it." She picked at the delicacies on her plate, still not feeling up to eating much. "Well, at least when he gets the time for it."

**Frigga sighed knowingly, and she gently placed her hand on Iona’s in a gesture of comfort. “A king’s duties do not necessarily respect a well-planned schedule, dear. Did you know that Odin was four hours late to our wedding? He was negotiating a treaty on Muspelheim when the discussion turned heated...no pun intended...” She laughed a bit at herself, impressed with her own wordsmithing. “We were wed with him bedecked in singed hair and a missing eyebrow.”**

**She smiled, remembering. “He was already an established ruler at that time. And I wasn’t his first wife. Though I like to think I was the best one.”**

**Then her gaze fell on Iona, a calm expression gracing her ethereal features. “Despite their differences, I do believe Loki respected Odin’s abilities as a sovereign, if not as a father. One does not maintain the position of Allfather for over 4000 years without mastering the intricacies of diplomacy and politics.”**

Iona nodded, biting her lip to keep her expression even. "You indeed were his best wife, for you brought up two rambunctious sons with ease, and handled the kingdom alongside him. You were his strength in many ways; he didn’t rule alone. And neither should Loki be required to do so. I’ll try to support him as best as I can. If I’m able to replicate your strength and temperance even by half, I’d consider myself an accomplished queen."

As the feast finally began to wind down, Iona breathed a sigh of relief. It was over now. She could go back to the royal chambers and hide away for a while; hopefully, take a little nap. They always improved her mood.

"I recognize the responsibilities of a sovereign, queen mother," she said finally, once she was left alone with Frigga. "I'm sorry if I appeared cross or moody. I'll try to be better."

**“Dear, your reaction is justified. But among the many powers you will gain as Allmother, unwavering patience will be your greatest. That, and a keen sense of humor. I’m certain you will be a wonderful Queen to Asgard and to my son.”**

**With that, she kissed Iona on both cheeks and took her hands. “Now, go relax. I’m certain you’re tired after last night.”**

Iona nodded and gathered her skirts to leave the feasting hall. However, she was stopped in her tracks by the burly form of her brother-in-law. 

"Your highness." She almost began to bow to him, only remembering in the last moment that she wasn't supposed to anymore. She was the queen now. 

She really needed that nap...

Clearing her throat, she tried again. "Prince Thor, it's so good to have you here again. We couldn't really interact much this time around, my prince. Would you like to try again?"

**“Please...Iona...your majesty...” Thor’s voice was gruff and gravely, and his red-rimmed eyes belied a severe malady.**

**He was, in fact, incredibly hungover from the wedding feast the night before. He squinted in the daylight...by the NORNS, all he wanted to do was crawl back into his bed for the next century.**

**“I am very happy for you and my brother, Iona. However...I must be...”**

**Suddenly he turned a bit green, and without another parting word, he rushed off to the restrooms, leaving Iona alone in the hall.**

Iona just stared after Thor, disgust marking her features as she saw where he was headed. Really, she expected better behaviour from him, considering how he was once the would-be Allfather. 

At least, thus far, she hadn't seen Loki become this inebriated. He had never been the one to overindulge. 

Shaking her head at Thor's irresponsible actions, she walked back to the royal wing, dismissing her handmaidens politely. She simply wished to be alone...

However, upon entering the shared royal chambers, she realized that she wasn't going to be alone. She heard someone puttering around in an adjoining room to the sitting room. Most likely Loki's study room.

Was it a housekeeper? Perhaps it was... 

She couldn't just dismiss the housekeepers and cleaners like she had dismissed her handmaidens. They needed to do their job...

Sighing to herself, she went straight to the bedroom, hoping to avoid whoever was there so that she'd not have to act the part of a poised queen.

**Loki puttered around his study, having just returned from his meeting. While the Vanir nobles had been cordial, it was obvious that their interests remained in the agreement that Odin had established before his passing - that is, that Vanaheim would be Asgard’s primary ally, and would have its needs upheld over the other realms.**

**Which was a problem, given that the same agreement had been made with the Alfans. Apparently, Odin had been playing both sides, utilizing their distrust of each other to benefit Asgard above all else.**

**Frankly, Loki was impressed with the statecraft, and that Odin had maintained the ruse for as long as he had. But now the fallout of it landed on him...and it would have to be carefully handled.**

**Suffice to say, he was frustrated, and angry, and resentful that he was missing his wedding celebrations because of something Odin had done. Even in death, the old man was still meddling in his affairs. ** ** _Typical_ ** **...**

**He headed into the bathroom and turned on the bath, ready to wash this situation from his mind and body, and hoping Iona would forgive him for this and whatever other slights he would need to make against her in order to conduct the business of the Allfather.**

In the dressing room, Iona was taking her over-dress and adornments off with slow, disinterested movements. Suddenly, her ears perked up to the sound of running water. 

_ What? _

Curious, she donned a robe and went to the bathroom, finding the door unlocked. Peeking inside, she was surprised to find Loki in there.

With her hands on her hips, she stepped into the bathroom and glared at him. 

"What are  _ you _ doing here?" she asked without any sort of greeting. She wasn't in the mood for pleasantries.

**“These are ** ** _my_ ** ** chambers. Where else should I be?”**

**He was already half undressed when she had so rudely interrupted him. Norns, this combination of guilt and fury he felt in her presence was both confounding and irritating.**

" _ Do _ keep your sarcasm in check, your majesty," she snapped. "I meant, why are you back so early? Weren't you going to be busy till... what, midnight?"

Her tone was so sharp that she felt like it would cut off all the tapestry in the rooms. But she didn't care. He had called her childish and petty for caring about certain postnuptial ceremonies. And she had endured a whole two and a half hours of veiled insinuations towards their supposed farce of a marriage during the morning after feast. 

She had lost all of her grace and patience now... she wasn't going to take any more patronizing remarks from him.

**“I’m back at exactly the time I ** ** _meant_ ** ** to be back,” he said flatly as he continued undressing. “Lo and behold, the King of Asgard makes his own decisions, despite what the new Queen might believe. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d quite like to enjoy some peace before I’m needed at my next engagement.”**

**His words were cutting, but he didn’t care. He already felt guilty for missing the breakfast, and he didn’t need his wife nagging him about it any further.**

**He didn’t even look at her as he removed the last of his clothing and stepped into the warm water, hoping he’d offended her enough that she might leave him alone for a while. They’d be together for the rest of their lives, after all.**

Her glare intensified upon hearing his scathing words. 

"Of course,  _ I’m  _ the one ruining your peace... even though you left me all alone to the feast where everyone was trying to pick apart the fact that our marriage is nothing but a charade." 

He simply rolled his eyes at her and sank further into the bath. Norns, she felt so damn incensed at his attitude towards her!

Within a few seconds, and before she could talk herself out of it, she grabbed some of the intensely perfumed bath oils that she knew irritated him and dumped their entire contents into his bath. To further annoy him, she added a whole bottle of an exfoliator to the mix.

"Enjoy that  _ peaceful  _ bath now!"

**As she poured the overly pungent oils into the water, Loki’s hand grabbed her wrist, and he stared daggers at her. Of all the immature, rude, vindictive things... now she insisted on ruining his bath, as well as making him feel even more awful about this morning?!**

**“What in the NINE REALMS is wrong with you, woman?!” His voice was a growling whisper, and his eyes burned with fury. “You dare behave this way with your King?”**

**He faltered just slightly...hearing Odin’s tone in his voice. But he brushed it off, as his rage overtook all other emotions.**

"I DARE, as I'm the QUEEN," she retorted, trying to pull her hand away from his grip. It was tightening almost painfully now. "If you cannot behave like a true king, I'm not required to be civil with you."

**That did it.**

**With one strong tug, he tipped her off balance pulled her into the water, fully clothed. The sight of all that fabric floating around her did give him some satisfaction, given how much she adored her luxury clothing and how this dress was likely now completely ruined.**

**“Fine. Then I guess I won’t behave like a ** ** _true king,_ ** ** given that you are acting like a ** ** _complete brat_ ** **!”**

She screamed and splashed around as her dress and robe and jewelry, all got soaked in the bath mix. 

"Loki! My dress! Willa is going to scream!" She tried to get out and off the massive tub, but the soaked clothes became a dead weight for her, pulling her further into the water. "Let me go!"

**He simply leaned back and crossed his legs, putting his hands behind his head.**

**“Oh stop. You deserved that.”**

That's when she finally found her footing in the water. She then rose on her knees and opened the stays of her dress somehow. 

As the fabric loosened, she tried to pull it off her. Loki simply laughed at her struggles. 

"You're the  _ worst _ husband in the history of Asgard!" she growled, finally pulling the heavy fabric off her shoulders. "Also, I'm sure you'd be thrilled to know that the nightgown you took me in last night? IT WAS FRIGGA’S! She wore it on her wedding night with Odin! Do what you want with that little bit of knowledge, you cad!"

**That made him laugh even harder.**

**“WAS it now? Oh my...she must really like you after all! Imagine if she knew what WE had done while you wore that skimpy, lacy little thing. Actually...she might already, being a witch.”**

**He knew she was trying to get a rise out of him, but frankly, the view of her flopping around ungracefully like a drowned cat in the tub was improving his mood rather quickly. And her breasts were beginning to fall out of the top of those soaked stays...**

**“Need help?” he simpered, not at all making any attempt to offer said help.**

"Shut up!" She blushed at his teasing comment. How could he be so infuriatingly cavalier about it? She thought that last night had been something very special... that something had changed between them.

Now, she realized that he was still an absolute ass. Especially to her.

After much fumbling, she finally removed her dress. That gave her the freedom to step out of the bath. That's exactly what she went on to do...

**...until he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back in with a splash.**

**He went fully underwater, holding her naked body against his and keeping her arms and legs from hitting him as she flailed. He could hear her infuriated screaming even under the surface.**

**It gave him no small amount of satisfaction. Just for fun, he slid his hand between her legs to hold her even more immobile and to enrage her further.**

"LOKI!" she yelled. Or tried to, as the water garbled her cries. "What are you doing? Are you insane?!"

She began to panic a bit as they both went underwater. She could hold her breath for a while, as she was an avid swimmer, but she didn't know for how long  _ he  _ could do it. 

And when he started touching her between her legs, she bucked against him and shrieked again.

**Oh her struggle was delicious. And he knew he could hold his breath for quite long, possibly longer than she could. So this was promising to be fun.**

**Adjusting his grip, he cupped one of her breasts in his free hand and pushed two fingers into her channel, further improving his hold on her body. He began pumping her quickly, wanting to make her lose control and orgasm before he even had to come up for air.**

Suddenly, her bucking became arching, and the screams of protests gave way to quiet struggles and pleasure. Loki was using his wicked,  _ knowing  _ fingers on her, and she was losing this battle with him.

What was he doing to her? Norns... he was attacking her senses  _ and  _ her intimate parts. She shook her head as he held her tightly and brought her to the edge of completion with sharp, deep strokes. 

A part of her was scared to come apart under water. What if she inhaled?

**Loki was working her as fast as possible, touching every place he knew she craved, racing to push her into completion. There was a time limit now, and he’d be so disappointed if he couldn’t accomplish his goal before needing air.**

**He was rough, letting that frustration and rage translate into his movements, claiming her body as he fondled and teased her, ripping her pleasure from all of her erogenous zones.**

**It was hard to tell how close she was, but if her thrashing was any indication, it must be soon...**

Her eyes began to close as she neared completion. His fingers were working her towards it at a crazed pace. 

There was literally no build-up; it was just a crash. A big one.

Her limbs went limp as the waves of her climax struck her, making it hard to keep her breath in. She wished to still struggle against him, but it was impossible.

**He felt her go rigid, and immediately, he pulled both of them to the surface. He drew in a huge breath, then just laughed as Iona panted, her wet cheeks flushing red.**

**He pulled himself out of the tub - now sporting an impressive erection that he intentionally ignored - and began to dry himself.**

**“Iona, you are ** ** _far_ ** ** too easy...” he chuckled darkly, the tone in his voice at the same time judgmental and entertained.**

She pulled in lungs full of air repeatedly, trembling against the walls of the tub as her body was still caught in the aftermath of her orgasm. 

Still, his words and his tone did register in her head, and they didn't make her feel any good. 

"You're s-still a cad," she mumbled as he climbed out of the bath.

**“Mhm,” he said, wrapping the towel around his waist and walking victoriously into the bedroom, not even sparing her a passing glance. He felt satisfied, ** ** _justified _ ** **even. She had started this ridiculous fight, and it was just as well that he had ended it.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Oh Loki, why are you being like this?_
> 
> Hello dear readers, here we are with our update. We love your comments so damn much. Keep 'em coming. <3  
**ALSO, from now onwards, we will be updating this story more frequently - every Sunday and Thursday. (Consider this as our Holidays' gift to you)**  



	14. Acrimony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More fighting, more sexual escapades, and ultimately, some pillow talk.  


**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

She pulled herself out of the water somehow, her legs feeling as though they were made of flimsier material than bones and flesh. 

Quietly, she wrapped a towel around herself and headed for the dressing room to retrieve a simple day dress. She didn't want to face Loki again, for he was intentionally being crass with her. She just didn't want to have any kind of interaction with him, for he was sure to use his sexual knowledge against her.

She was so damn tired... of  _ everything _ . She just wanted to rest and forget about the feast... and Loki's answering rudeness. 

However, she found that he was still there when she entered the bedroom, just sauntering around in that damned towel.

She tried to ignore him as she hurried to the bed, pulled the covers back and literally hiding under the blankets.

**Loki narrowed his eyes at her and put his hands on his hips. “Back in bed already? It hasn’t even reached lunchtime yet...” He picked up another pastry leftover from that morning and began eating it, leaning on the back of a nearby chair.**

**“Just one day as Asgard’s official queen, and you’re already building a reputation for laziness. I had hoped for so much more from you...”**

**Though his tone was cavalier, his body was thrumming with latent need. Taking her in the bath had been a delight and he longed for more, but he wasn’t about to ask her for it. His pride was much maligned and that was at the forefront of his thoughts, despite his physical condition.**

_ Don't respond to him... _

_ Don't! _

_ He's trying to bait you into an argument. That's what he does best. Do NOT respond... _

She couldn't help it, her naturally argumentative nature took the bait. Pushing the covers away, she sat up and gave him a glare again.

"What more would you have me do, sire? I took care of the morning after feast, I finalized the list of people who would attend the celebrations on the weekend, I dictated and sent out letters of thanks on our behalf for the presents we received, AND I have handled your rudeness since morning. Now, as per your mother's suggestion, I had come back here to rest and recuperate, since the evening will bring even more excitement and joy - of yet another celebratory feast." She gave him a mock grin. "And as usual, I'll be attending it alone, no?"

**Ooooh, that fire in her was ** ** _so_ ** ** arousing. He gave her a look like he would be delighted to eat her alive, made even darker by her shocked and somewhat frightened response.**

**He grinned, tossing the half-eaten pastry back on the platter and walking to sit on the bed, the erection almost exposing itself from between the folds of his towel.**

**“I will be in attendance at the farewell feast tonight. And I would expect you to behave, little queen. You think that simply because we are wed you can speak to me this way? I thought we had made so much progress, but apparently, my mercy has had a degrading effect on your desire to maintain proper etiquette towards your lord husband...”**

Iona began to pull away from him as he leaned closer. She was planning to leave the bed promptly. He was giving her a look of pure lust and hunger, and she didn't know if she could handle another round of his attentions. 

Especially if he was going to handle her as roughly as he did in the bath...

"Mercy?" She sniffed affectedly, giving him a frosty look as she turned away from him. "I'm not dependent on your  _ mercy _ . Being your wife doesn't equate to being your slave. I maintain the royal etiquette when I'm in public. And in private, you cannot possibly fault me for calling you an ass when you're, in fact, being an ass."

**“In private...” He leaned toward her, the towel unwrapping itself as his body twisted, and by the time he was facing her fully, it lay discarded with the blankets. **

**That same feral look stayed on his face, reminiscent of the evening before.**

**“I can do whatever I want. Must I remind you of your duties towards me as my wife, Iona? It would be remiss of me to allow your unruly behavior to go unchecked, most especially on your first day wed.”**

Iona slipped away from the bed and tried to make it to the door.

"I'm not your thrall!" she cried as she ran.

She knew that he'd probably catch her, but she didn't want to make it easy for him.

**Of course, he caught her easily, pressing her back against the wall and holding her by the shoulders.**

**“Yelling at me? Trying to run from me? What in Nine Realms do you hope to accomplish? As of now, I merely find it irritating.” He leaned down close to her face, watching her with almost crazed eyes. He wanted her to fight, wanted her to keep challenging him...he loved it.**

**“But keep it up, and I’ll have to find some way to correct your conduct, ** ** _baby girl_ ** **.”**

Her mind reeled at that sobriquet. Was it only last night that he had introduced her to it? It felt so distant suddenly, now that he was all into her face and growing it at her.

"You better not try something unseemly, Loki! I'm warning you, I WILL fight you!" she claimed, pushing at his chest with all her strength.

**He didn’t even budge. **

**He looked down at her little hands on his bare chest, and he smiled - it wasn’t entirely cruel, but it certainly seemed mocking. “I was counting on it.”**

**Then he slammed his hand on the wall next to her head, making her jump. She watched him with more fear now than anger.**

**Good.**

**“Get. On. The bed.”**

"Do not order me," she muttered, glaring daggers at him, even though her body shook with nerves. "I told you, I'm your wife, not your pet."

Norns, what was he going to do...?

**He grinned at her again, almost as though he were thanking her. And in a way, he was. He was thankful she had just sealed her fate.**

**Loki bent down and picked her up quickly, throwing her over his shoulder, with her kicking and screaming. Her little hands were now pounding against his back, and it hardly felt like rainfall. He threw her down on the bed and immediately pushed himself between her thighs.**

**He held her arms down next to her head, trapping her against the mattress.**

**“Go on, Iona. Fight me.”**

"I AM fighting you, you annoying cad!"

She kept trying to release her hands from his hold, struggling and squirming like a fish out of water. Her knees rose up and tried to push into his side, but his damned height was a drawback. 

She let out growls of anger and frustration as she kept trying to twist her body away from him.

**This was delicious. He quickly bent down and took her lips with his, giving her a ferocious, possessive kiss, enjoying the feel of her struggle against him. He pressed his naked cock against her center; he could feel how wet she was through her undergarments.**

**“Do your duty, wife,” he said against her mouth. “Please me.”**

Despite her struggles, Iona shivered in pleasure when he spoke against her lips in that deep, gravelly voice of his...

Norns, it was unfair how he could arouse her so easily, even when he was being so insufferable. 

"What about  _ your  _ duty?" she asked, her body becoming still and complacent. She decided to lick his lips and see what he'd do.

**He had expected her to scream at him. To curse him, to push him away.**

**Instead...she licked his lips and made that catty remark. It stopped him for a moment - and he realized that her fear had been completely eclipsed by arousal.**

**So...she ** ** _liked_ ** ** it rough. He was learning so many things about his new wife!**

**With only another crazed smile in response, he pushed aside the thin bit of fabric that covered her slick channel, then pressed the head of his cock against her. The feel of her natural lubrications against his spongy flesh made him shudder, and he began to slide himself slowly in and out of her inviting warmth.**

She moaned and arched her back, closing her eyes against the sharp pleasure of his intrusion. Her legs wrapped around his hips and quite literally tried to pull him in. 

This... was not what she had wanted. Was it...?

Her own response to his behaviour surprised her in many ways. She was still mad at him, still wanting to fight him, but the pleasure... it was running like a parallel stream to her anger.

Growling again, she raised a hand and grasped his hair, pulling at it hard as he thrust into her, hoping that it was hurting him.

**He took a sharp breath as she grabbed his hair and pulled - that surprising pain shot him full of lust. Again, the utter satisfaction and wild drive he felt as she melted into compliance was so potent, he couldn’t help the moan that escaped his throat.**

**The sense that she literally couldn’t resist him, even when she was angry, even when she ** ** _wanted_ ** ** to, just encouraged him to push her further. Driving himself deep inside her, he leaned down, pulling against her grip on his hair.**

**“Is this all it takes, little Queen? You’re so desperate for my pleasure that you’ll cave the instant I touch you? And here I thought you had some semblance of control over your carnal urges...like a ** ** _truly_ ** ** well-trained lady. But apparently not.”**

**With that, he roughly grabbed her breast and pinched her nipple between his fingers, laughing at her as she arched again and took him even deeper.**

Iona wanted to slap him, to dig her nails into his skin and draw blood. He was such an arrogant brute of a man!

How dare he mock her for feeling pleasure when  _ he _ was the one who initiated this coupling?  _ He  _ was the desperate one here, not her. She was just... well... responding in the way her body was meant to!

"Just... doing my  _ duty _ , sire," she ground out as her breath broke with his unrelenting thrusts.

**“I’ll bet you can’t even help but come. No control whatsoever, just letting the pleasure take you unabated. Such a desperate, weak little thing...”**

**He picked up the pace, and as if to prove his point, she let out a long, keening moan.**

**He knew he was being unnecessarily mean...but he was enjoying it so much the concept of stopping never crossed his mind.**

Norns, was he ever going to shut up? All of this talking... mocking... deriding... it was making her furious, pleasure notwithstanding.

"What's even the point of control?" she asked between the seemingly unstoppable moans. "You'll take me either way..."

_ Might as well get something out of it... _

**“I only do it because you let me… my ** ** _wanton whore_ ** **...”**

**He laughed at the fire that burned in her eyes and bore directly into him - he liked her this way. But he was also feeling his own pleasure building...and he wanted to make certain that she came undone before he did.**

**“Now be a good girl and come for Daddy...” he growled as he took her more roughly than ever before.**

She let go of his hair and grabbed his shoulders in her desperation, her sharp cries resounding in the room. 

Her orgasm tore through her despite his roughness. Her body struggled to accept what all he was giving her, and it showed. She shook her head from one side to the other, sobbing, keening, cursing him with gritted teeth as he thrust into her very deliberately, angling himself inside her in a way that pushed her pleasure to the forefront. 

"Damn you... to Helheim... Loki!"

**“I...will see you...there!”**

**He grunted as his own completion hit him like a blow from Mjolnir. He throbbed inside her, letting all that anger and energy and frustration seep out of him with his seed. **

**As his breathing evened, his grip became less fierce, and the frenzy in his eyes calmed to the simmering lethargy of afterglow.**

**He remained sheathed within her for a few moments longer, then he looked down at her, smiled gently, and kissed her forehead in a complete volte-face of attitude.**

**“Thank you, darling...that was intense. I feel much better now. You?”**

**Without waiting for an answer, he removed himself from her and began to clean them up, a satiated - though not malicious - smile remaining on his lips.**

**Though she just stared at him incredulously, he finished the task, then returned to the bed and wrapped his arms around her stiff, confused body. “Dear?”**

"W-What?" she asked in a whisper, extremely confused at his behaviour. "What do you want now?"

She thought it apt to ask, since he was blowing hot and cold, acting in ways that had her feeling utterly off-balanced.

**He nuzzled into her, enjoying her warmth. He found that his earlier frustration and anger had all but dissipated...strange indeed. Even ** ** _he_ ** ** was surprised by how much calmer he felt, like all that fury and lust melted away as soon as he reached completion. **

**He could empathize with her confusion - he’d never gone from so upset and wild to satisfied and peaceful within such a short period of time. Still, no point in ruining a good thing.**

**“Nothing, sweetling. Just checking in. That was a bit...energetic, was it not?”**

"Too energetic," she mumbled, melting into his embrace despite her misgivings and unresolved ire. 

What was going on? Why was he being this way? His sudden moodiness and unpredictability weren’t good for her mental peace...

"I'm... I'm exhausted. And sore."

She closed her eyes then, the exhaustion getting to her finally.

**"Perhaps I can help," he said softly, and he slid his hand between her legs, palming her sensitive nub. He cast the warm healing spell and it glowed with yellow light. "How does that feel?"**

She whimpered in relief as the spell washed over her, spreading from her womanhood and going through her limbs. 

"Good...." she replied in a whisper, wiggling in his arms to get more comfortable.

**He kissed her temple and settled in beside her, taking a long, deep breath. She felt so ** ** _good _ ** **in his arms, he would love to stay with her for the rest of the day. And that heavenly floral scent she wore, mixed with the musky pheromones from their lovemaking - ** ** _erm _ ** **\- animalistic fucking… it just made his cock twitch with need again.**

**What had come over him?**

**He wrapped his leg around hers and pulled her lower half close to his, giving her a full-bodied embrace.**

She pulled back a bit to stare at him, uncertainty tainting her gaze. 

“You really think that I’m a lazy, incompetent queen?” she asked softly, keeping the hurt plain on her face so that he knew that she wasn’t jesting or teasing. She meant it. “That I don’t deserve a prior discussion about your schedule?”

** _Norns, _ ** **that sadness on her face destroyed him. Why had he been so cruel earlier?**

**“Of course not, Iona. I’m sorry...I’ve not been myself lately. I had not anticipated that ** ** _‘scheduling’ _ ** **would have been among my first failings as a husband, but I will try to do better. I am unused to sharing a life with someone else, but I will focus on improving my temper...and controlling my tongue. You’ve earned it.”**

**He squeezed her gently and held her flush against him, greatly enjoying the feel of her skin against his.**

She gave him a small smile, caressing his jawline with her knuckles. 

“The old silvertongue can be controlled? I didn’t know…” Giving him a small peck on his lips, she finally settled against his chest. “You’re forgiven, for now. And I’m glad that you’re willing to share your life  _ and  _ your schedule with me.”

Her smile grew as she heard him chuckle in response, the sound reverberating through his chest.

**"Excellent. Now I think you should take your nap and rest before the farewell feast. I am needed in the court, but I'll return before we depart for the feast ** ** _together_ ** **."**

**With that, he reluctantly parted with her and left the bed. He gave her a sly wink, then waved his arm. In a shimmer of gold, he was fully dressed and prepared to see his people.**

**"Until tonight, sweetling."**

**With a flourish, he walked out the door.**

**Then, a few seconds later, he popped his head back in, much to Iona's surprise.**

**"And…by the way, we'll need to postpone the honeymoon by a month. That was the first thing on my schedule."**

**Before Iona could respond, he disappeared, leaving her furiously screaming his name as he rushed down the hall to the throne room.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SUNDAY UPDATES BEGIN!  
Hope you guys liked it. <3


	15. The Skiff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Iona get ready for their honeymoon. But Loki is still distracted by his royal duties, and Iona is not amused.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

The palace was abuzz with activity. The newly-wed royal couple was, at long last, leaving for their honeymoon.

It came a month late, as Loki had so annoyingly informed Iona the day after the wedding, but she was glad that they were finally going to spend some quality time in the foothills of the lake district. She had been looking forward to it. It would be peaceful, away from the hustle and bustle of the Capital; two weeks in a castle situated on the edge of lake Ulfr, surrounded by verdant forest.

However, it was not by a stroke of serendipity that their destination was so secluded. They were expected to spend most of their time together there, trying to conceive an heir. 

Iona breathed a heavy sigh, feeling the weight of that expectation upon her shoulders. She wasn’t too keen on getting with child so early in the marriage, but that was what was expected of a royal couple.

Well, at least _ Frigga _hadn’t put the weight of her expectations on her yet. She had simply urged Iona to enjoy the vacation. That was heartening...

Loki joined her in the large, covered skiff after some delay. She had settled in before him because he had still been busy with handling the kingdom. Thankfully, it would now be in the queen mother's hands, thereby giving him the opportunity to spend more time in his wife’s company. 

"What took you so long, my lord husband?" Iona asked with a touch of annoyance as he sat down beside her. She noticed then that he was carrying a sheaf of papers in his hands, and he was completely engrossed in its contents.

Moreso, one of his personal court attendants brought in a binder full of documents and placed it behind the sofa they were sitting on. He made himself scarce the moment he met Iona’s glare.

Loki had yet to respond to her, and it was only aggravating her annoyance with him.

**Loki’s emerald eyes were glued to the documents in his hands as he sat down next to Iona, reading over the last of the legislation that had been proposed regarding Alfheim’s recent discovery of a new leyline on an outlying moon...there were just a few more details to work out before—**

**“Sorry? What was that?”**

**He still didn’t look up. Her question grated on his nerves, but that sense of irritation had become almost commonplace over the last month. His moods had been erratic since the wedding - even ** ** _he _ ** **had noticed how he would swing from perfectly fine and content to overwhelmingly petulant and back again within seconds of an offending action or word, no matter how benign the infraction. **

**He attributed it to stress, having taken on more responsibilities and projects and negotiations since his marriage than he’d had prior; as he’d expected, being wed assured all in the Nine Realms that he was a stable, grounded ruler. And while it had the desired effect of legitimizing his monarchy further, it also meant that more nobles and dignitaries were reaching out to him with their questions and needs.**

**Which was why he was now trying to finish this trade proposal while boarding the skiff to his honeymoon. He longed to be done with it, but he still felt like he was overlooking something...**

Iona turned around to fully to give him a look of disapproval.

"Are you still not done with that legislation?" she asked incredulously, eyeing the batch of paperwork he was carrying with him. "I'm sure the queen mother can handle this."

**“Mmmmhm. It’ll be just a few more moments, darling. The queen mother will have plenty else to do, and— oh, now, what in the Norns is that...?”**

**He waved his hand and materialized a quill pen, and started scratching out lines and writing quickly in his elegant, royally-trained chicken scratch.**

Iona just stared at him with narrowed eyes, her ire still very strong.

This was their _ honeymoon _. A delayed honeymoon, but still...

It was supposed to be special, with him showering her with his attention, not with mere scraps of it.

But no, he couldn't leave the kingly job for even _ two weeks _, despite his very experienced and capable mother at the helm of affairs now.

Fuming, Iona turned to face away from him once again, looking out the window as the skiff took off.

It was going to be a tedious, boring journey, with her husband still engrossed in those papers...

**After about thirty more minutes, Loki sighed contentedly and magically sent the papers back to his chambers. His mother would take care of the matter from there onwards...**

**“There we go. Done, sweetling. I’m all yours.” He smirked at her proudly, like he had no idea how displeased she was. In truth, he didn’t; he’d been so absorbed by his work, he was just happy to have completed it.**

**So...why was she glaring at him?**

Iona gave him a haughty, disinterested look after cooling down her glare.

"Oh, don't mind me, I'm completely riveted by the passing scenery," she said in an acerbic tone, turning back towards the window. "You might as well magic yourself back to your court. I swear I wouldn't even notice."

**A little flicker of fury burned in his gut at her words. Nothing that would take him over the edge, but just the beginnings of what could, if not quelled, turn into something much more explosive.**

**“Excuse me? Darling, this is our honeymoon. I’m done now. I completed all the tasks that had to be done in order for us to leave. Now, why are you so upset?”**

Iona ignored him, keeping herself turned towards the window. 

He could fume and rant now... after ignoring her for so long, he deserved it.

**“Iona?” That little fire grew… “Stop being childish. It was just the last bit of work that needed to be finished, and now it’s done. Would you please turn around and look at me?”**

**He wasn’t mad...yet. But he was getting there rather quickly...**

She finally spared him a glance.

"And what about those documents in that binder behind you? Don't think me a child, your majesty. And don't lie. Maybe I've nearly accepted that this farce of a honeymoon is going to be spent in this vein only."

**“Farce of a—!? We’re going to ** ** _Lake Ulfr _ ** **for two weeks!” He gestured out the windows, palm up, as if it was so obvious that this honeymoon was going to be incredible and that she should just be able to see it and be grateful. “You knew I would need to do a bit of proofreading while gone, we discussed that!”**

**Oooh, that fire was starting to rage now. This ungrateful, insolent, indignant little woman was being unfairly condescending. Ruining their vacation before it had even begun with her pouty, sour attitude.**

**“What has gotten ** ** _into_ ** ** you, woman?”**

"I'm tired of your distracted attention!" she snapped back, huffing at his show of confusion.

She clenched her fists and glared at him.

"Yes, we had agreed about the paperwork, but we had also agreed that you'd not be involved in the paperwork _ constantly _ . Don't expect me to be grateful to receive a wee bit of your time. I'm your _ wife _, not some grovelling mistress who'd wait on you and be happy to be just a nightly..." She faltered, feeling self-conscious. "A nightly fuck."

**“WE’VE ONLY BEEN FLYING FOR THIRTY MINUTES!”**

**That was it - Loki has lost the battle to contain the raging fire of irritation within him. What in the NINE was WRONG with her?!**

**“The honeymoon has hardly begun, and you’re already accusing me of paying you so little attention that you might as well be a nightly FUCK?!”**

**He stopped himself then, concerned that they might be heard by the driver outside the cabin. His voice reduced to a hissed whisper, and he leaned in close to her face.**

**“I would expect more of you, ** ** _Allmother_ ** **.”**

She barely kept herself from flinching when he yelled at her.

Norns, he was acting so high and mighty, as if she had only been referring to the _ here and now _.

"I've never ignored my duties as the Allmother! How dare you accuse me so," she hissed back, grabbing a cushion from the plush seat and throwing it at him. "You've been treating me like a nightly fuck this entire month!"

The infuriating man smacked the cushion away like it was a feather.

**Loki growled and his hands flew into his hair, pulling his fingers through it in frustration. “I am the KING of Asgard, Iona! I have a responsibility to the TRILLIONS of people in the Nine Realms to ensure that their concerns are heard and resolved. What would you have me do, end court by saying, ** ** _‘Well, yes, we’ve not solved the problem of feeding the dislocated children of Jotunheim, BUT MY WIFE DEMANDS MY ATTENTION!’_ ** **”**

**He was breathing heavily at this point, feeling the bile in the back of his throat. Only she, only Iona, could rile him like this.**

**His cock twitched.**

** _Fucking Hel..._ **

"Oh I see, _ I'm _ the unfair halfwit queen who doesn't understand how a Kingdom works," she growled, fingers digging into another cushion. " _ I'm _ the ignorant Allmother who asks her husband to join her for afternoon tea with the visiting dignitaries from Alfheim, only to be embarrassed when he forgets to show up. The diplomatic circles already think me a mere figurehead, all thanks to you ignoring my last three requests. Oh, but you never forget to visit the queen mother on a daily basis, or to fulfill Thor's demands as and when you receive them from Midgard. _ I'm _the only person who has to bear your distraction!"

**“IONA!” He roared, partially because he was tired of being talked-back to, but also because...he couldn’t deny that he’d been putting off her requests in favour of the other responsibilities he carried.**

**He moved close to her, pulling her into his arms and pushing his fingers into her beautiful - ** ** _Norns, it was beautiful _ ** **\- red-brown hair.**

**“Fine. You want my attention. You have it. ALL of it. And I hope you don’t regret your selfish need to keep me for yourself when the rest of the UNIVERSE awaits my decrees.”**

**Then he kissed her.**

**But it wasn’t really a kiss. It was a statement. It was a claim. It was a demand that she STOP stabbing holes in his reasoning and let him best her another way.**

**Essentially, it was admitting defeat.**

**But he would never have told her that.**

Initially, she was too surprised to react. He had moved so quickly to claim her lips - like a striking snake. How she ended end up in his lap, straddling him, she didn’t even know.

But then... she jumped right into it. The attention-starved side of her rejoiced, kissing him back with enthusiasm and fervour. The agitated side of her, though, was feeling very differently about this development. 

It wasn’t hard to see that he was just trying to shut her up.

That realization filled her with absolute fury.

And that's how she ended up biting his lower lip, enough to draw blood.

_ Oh dear… _ that wasn't her intent, but now it was done.

**Any rational thought was blown to the wind as soon as she bit his lip - the pain and surprise and excitement and pleasure...that switch in his brain turned again.**

**The switch that he had kept in control for ** ** _so _ ** **long...**

**With a growl, he felt that same uncontrolled animalism take him over. He gripped her hair and held her to his mouth, attacking her with his tongue and lips.**

**He pushed his now-throbbing cock against her center, every base instinct within him taking over and urging him to take her like the wanton whore that she was. And though, there was a part of him - a distant, small part of him, at this point - that understood that she wasn’t, understood that she was a ** ** _queen_ ** **, a fiercely intelligent and driven woman whose ruling abilities could very well match his own...**

**That part was long forgotten in the heat of the moment.**

**With a final grunt, he pushed her back so she lost her balance and fell to the floor of the skiff. He stood over her, breathing heavily, coursing with feral energy and very much shedding the royal demeanor he had maintained for the last few weeks.**

**He licked the blood from his lip.**

Iona landed on the carpeted floor with a graceless thud, her limbs spreading as she tried to immediately right herself.

Her dress had flown up too, the folds now resting against her thighs. One of her slippers had also come off.

She stared up at Loki in shock, finding his demeanour quickly shifting. She felt anger and lust roll off him in potent waves.

Still, she was determined to fight him.

"You threw me onto the floor, you absolute oaf," she cried, pushing her leg forward to kick him in the shin.

**He avoided her attack with the grace and speed of a trained warrior.**

**Which, of course, he ** ** _was_ ** **.**

**Shifting his weight quickly, he jumped upon her, spreading her legs, reaching down and freeing himself from his breeches with one hand while supporting himself over her body, caging her.**

**“And you, pet, DESERVED it...”**

"Loki!" she squealed in protest as he ripped her underclothes and lined his hard manhood to her folds. "We can't do it in a skiff! Have some decency!"

At the same time that she made the protests, she felt herself become terribly aroused.

**“Decency?!” he growled, stopping his intrusion of her most intimate parts only because of her ridiculous accusation. “Iona...at what point, in ANY of our interactions together, have you EVER thought that my CONCERN...”**

**He couldn’t help it. He laughed. It was a dark, sinful, unnerving laugh, but his amusement at her insinuation was uncontainable. **

**“You appeal to my ** ** _decency_ ** **?!”**

**He forced himself into her, right there on the floor of the skiff, still chuckling at her choice of words.**

**“Ohhhh my dear,” he said as his eyes closed in ecstasy at having his cock inside her. “We released forbearance to decency long ago...you DIRTY...”**

**He pulled back and thrust into her again.**

**“DEPRAVED...”**

**Again, with more force.**

**“WANTON whore...”**

**He pushed himself fully inside her, holding her there, impaled on his skin-splitting cock.**

Iona's skin was thrumming with lust, her legs were thrown wide, and her hands were half attacking, half clutching Loki's head.

His words, Norns, his dirty, _ filthy _words... why did always affect her so?

She tried to slap him as he thrust deep inside her and just...kept grinding himself into her without pulling out. It made her gasp and tremble.

**Her little hands kept beating him, making equally little slapping sounds against his muscles.**

**Was she...was she trying to ** ** _fight_ ** ** him?!**

**The delight and hilarity of it drove him on. Every time she hit him, he thrust into her with renewed vigor. Again, and again, and again...**

**“Iona,” he laughed, though the carnal lust had not dissipated in the least. “What exactly are you trying to accomplish?”**

"Slapping this smugness off your--" She yelped as he roughly pulled down the bodice of her dress, rupturing its stays and linings. "Dammit, Loki!"

She pulled the bodice back up, just to block him from accessing her breasts. _ And _to spite him.

"You're an animal!"

**And he pulled it right back down again, licking the tops of her breasts salaciously while his eyes never left hers. And he gave her another hard thrust for good measure.**

**“Never denied it, sweetling. You like it...”**

**Oh NORNS, he wanted to fuck her into silence...**

She slapped him again, moaning as the hard thrust made her clench around him.

She was so close...

But if she came so soon, she'd only prove his point.

"I hate you and your infuriating face!" she cried as he bit and sucked her nipples till they reddened, never relenting on his movements inside her.

**A very deep noise rumbled from his chest.**

**“You ** ** _love _ ** **my face...” he said, his lips still on her breasts and his cock still spreading her wide. He felt her walls fluttering around him. Ohhhh, he had her.**

**He thrust into her again, angling himself to press firmly against her g-spot, and he bit down on her nipple just hard enough to be sure that he had her attention.**

She shrieked, probably loud enough to make the steerer hear, as an orgasm suddenly tore through her.

She wailed a string of 'Nos' as Loki kept taking her in punishing strokes, biting her poor nipples till they were sensitive to even a draft of wind.

"You bastard!" She sobbed, wrapping her legs around his waist, her other slipper also falling away.

Just when she was about to catch her breath, he renewed the assault, making her come again, against her wishes.

**He felt her slicken against him, and his black eyes held barely a halo of green.**

**He was so close to coming that his scrotum was contacting, but he forced himself to hold out. He needed her to fall apart repeatedly, to succumb to his will and lose herself to the pleasure he gave her. To claim her, to breed her, to—**

** _BREED her?! —_ **

**Suddenly, he let loose inside her, his legs twitching and his eyes closing. He shuddered through the orgasm, and all the rage and anger and frustration went with it.**

Iona could barely _ think straight _ , inundated as she was with the orgasms as he rutted into her, let alone _ speak _.

Unable to articulate anything, she simply groaned and sighed, looking up at him with surrendered, pleading eyes.

**He practically collapsed on her, then rolled off to the side and wrapped an arm around her waist. His other hand twisted a strand of her fragrant hair, and his breathing evened.**

She nuzzled his neck as they lay on the soft carpet, waiting for her breathing to calm down.

She was embarrassed at what had just happened. Still, she couldn't forget some of the unkind things he had said. She didn’t want this to become a pattern between them, so she decided to address them.

"You called me selfish," she mumbled into his skin, still hiding her face. "I only wanted a bit of your time, and your undivided attention."

**“This has nothing to do with the small amount of time I took to finish my business today, does it?” he said quietly, his mind finally connecting the dots. “You’re worried that when I prioritize other things over your needs, it means I don’t want to spend time with you. It scares you, it makes you feel vulnerable and unprotected. And now, every time I’m with you but not giving you all of my attention, you believe it justifies your fears. Is that right?”**

**He kept stroking her hair and staring up at the roof of the skiff, enjoying the feel of her warm body on his.**

"I...." She blinked, shaken at his accurate assessment. It made her feel even more vulnerable. "Yes."

Her arm reached up and curled around him, trying to press him closer to her.

"Just... if your interest in me wanes, if you start to seek solace somewhere else, I want to know about it first. From you. So I can... prepare myself."

**Loki’s eyebrows peaked - so ** ** _that _ ** **was it.**

**“Darling,” he said, adjusting himself so he could look at her. “You’re worried about me leaving you...on our ** ** _honeymoon_ ** **? We’ve barely begun this journey together. And I chose you for a reason, sweetling.”**

She bit her lip as she looked into his beautiful eyes, feeling her face heat up.

"Because I can keep your secrets? And I know the proper courtly behaviour?" she asked with a frown. "I... I... it's just that I've heard about your _ appetites _... about your past lovers... I don't know if I can satisfy you."

**“I chose you because you were the only one who treated me like a ** ** _person _ ** **after I was sent to the dungeons. All the others saw me as a spectacle, a monster in a showcase.”**

**His breath froze in his chest with the admission. It was strange - inherently, he’d always known it, but never expressed it, assuming she would understand… but saying it out loud felt like opening a box that could now never be shut. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.**

**“I love your sharp tongue, and the way you squint your eyes when I say something unseemly. Your duties may have been a chore to you, but your visits to my cell were bright spots in an otherwise endlessly boring eternity. I had...no other visitors. Even my mother could only come in secret using magic.”**

**He sighed, swallowing hard, trying his best to dispel the sudden discomfort he felt upon sharing all this with her.**

**“No one else spoke to me. No one else even acknowledged me. But you...you came with a fire of life - even when you mocked me and tried to hurt me with your words. At least it was something to make me ** ** _feel_ ** **...I was still ** ** _alive_ ** **. I was still ** ** _me_ ** **.”**

**When his eyes opened, they sparkled. “So yes, you can keep my secrets. You can behave like royalty, as you were raised to do. But I love your fight, Iona. You make me feel alive. And not alone.”**

**He gave her a soft smile. “And as for my ‘sexual appetites’...I wouldn’t worry about not satisfying me. You’ve done quite well so far.” And he winked.**

She blushed again when he winked at her, letting out a small giggle.

"Really Daddy?" she asked, biting his chin. "Is that why you've been corrupting my innocent soul with your filthy words and salacious actions?"

Even though she was teasing him again, her heart soared in her chest. It did funny flips when he said that she had been a bright spot in his life while he was imprisoned.

**Before he could stop himself, he tapped on her nose with his index finger. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you can only corrupt those who ** ** _want _ ** **to be corrupted, little one,”**

**Just then...the door to their cabin opened, with the driver popping his head in. “Your majesties, we’ll be arriving in five minutes,” he announced.**

**He found them fully dressed, seated comfortably where they had sat when they first boarded.**

**“Thank you,” said Loki. “The trip was most enjoyable.” He gave Iona a sidelong glance and a smile.**

Iona was startled, but from the impish look on Loki's face, she assumed that he had just used his magic to cover them up. 

Another giggle escaped her as she smacked him on his arm after the steerer was gone. 

"You and your magic. Always one step ahead." 

He laughed and rose from the floor, picking her up with one hand.

She looked down at her red and swollen nipples, biting her lip as she touched them tentatively. She whimpered, looking over at Loki a bit accusingly.

"Look what you've done to me."

**“Look what I’ve done to you, indeed.” He grinned like a cat, then went about mending her clothes by sliding his hands up her body, tracing seidr along with it. When he was done, he gently pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “There you go. Just as perfect as when you boarded.”**

**Through the windows, he saw the castle they would call home for the next two weeks, sitting majestically on the shores of Lake Ulfr.**

**“Worry not, Iona. We’ll have plenty more time for me to corrupt you once we’re settled in...”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Test Thursday! Woohoo!  
Hope you guys liked this chapter. We made it extra long for you. :P  



	16. Transformation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki has a nightmare, and Iona pays for it.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

Iona woke up pretty early in the morning, much before the sky started lightening. She looked over at Loki, who was still deeply asleep, sprawled over on his stomach, taking up more than half of their bed. His soft snores were being muffled by the pillows. 

He was naked, obviously, with the sheets only halfway covering his ass. _ His perfectly sculpted ass... _

Seeing him like this, she was dearly tempted to do something very bad and naughty to him. Like, maybe, slap his bare skin, or tickle him.

But... she knew that he had been dead tired by all the paperwork... _ annoyed _even, snapping at the servants for little things and just being a grouch in general. They had been intimate only a handful of times after arriving at the castle. The lack of intimacy was indeed due to the paperwork, and the problems they pertained to seemed to be growing worse each day. 

He had shared his troubles with her recently, and she had him her support and understanding. As much as it frustrated her that their honeymoon was not going as per plans, she couldn't begrudge her husband for wanting to take care of the kingdom. She was simply relieved that he was involving her in it instead of ignoring her, discussing the matters at hand and taking her suggestions.

Trouble _ was _ brewing in the Capital. As soon as their honeymoon had begun, the nobles who had been anti-Loki right from the beginning of his rule started forming cliques of their own, trying to consolidate their power and influence. Frigga was able to handle most of them, but a few matters grew a bit too complicated, with Asgard’s trade getting mixed up in the built-up mistrust against Loki.

Huginn and Muninn - formerly Odin’s ravens, now Loki’s - brought scroll after scroll, hour after hour… and he looked more and more displeased with each visit, which in return made his temper flare further. Somehow, he kept himself in check when he was around her, but she could feel the tension and ire always rolling off him like a torrential waterfall.

Hence, she let him rest whenever he could… never asking for more than he could give of himself. She wanted to be his strength and support, not his liability.

Sighing to herself, she left Loki to his much needed sleep and slipped out of the bed as quietly as she could. 

Looking out the window, she found herself eyeing the clear blue waters of Lake Ulfr. It would be a lovely time to take a dip in there, and mayhap, go for a long swim. She hadn't stretched her limbs with a good swim in a long time, and she was drawn to the deep waters of the lake.

In no time at all, she donned her bathing suit and robe, and then quietly headed out of the castle. She was planning to enjoy a long, satisfying swim in the lake, confident that she'd return well before Loki would awaken.

** _No....no, please..._ **

**Loki’s brow furrowed, still asleep. He tossed on the bed, blankets falling to the floor.**

**Ice...a frozen landscape...red eyes approaching from the horizon...**

** _I’m not one of you!_ ** ** he screamed at them. ** ** _Leave me be!_ **

**Still, they came closer. Flurries of snow burst from the ground where they stepped. They were slow, but unstoppable. Loki tried to run, tried to draw his seidr, tried to do anything he could to escape - he put his hands up, grabbing his daggers, ready to fight...**

**His hands were blue. His arms were blue...suddenly he could see himself from ** ** _outside_ ** ** himself - hideous, marked, nude and manifesting ice from his fingers. His red eyes went wide as the giants reached him.**

**He screamed.**

**Loki bolted up in the bed, sweat clinging to his forehead and hair wildly strewn about. He looked around, terrified. It was still dark outside, with the sky just beginning to grey on the horizon. He was alone.**

**His chest contracted as he realized Iona was missing.**

**“...Iona?” His voice was small and weak. He felt exposed, like a nerve. Feverish and chilled at the same time. Where WAS she?!**

**“IONA!!!”**

Iona was kicking the water happily, enjoying the swim immensely. She had always been a natural at it, right from childhood. The water was pleasantly tepid, and it caressed her skin soothingly as she glided through it.

As she completed the round of the whole lake, she wondered if she could perhaps have Loki join her one day. Mayhap he'd like it, and it might just make him feel better. Relax him even.

Suddenly, the thought of swimming naked with Loki popped in her head, and she smiled impishly. That would certainly be interesting...

As she swam closer to the castle, she noticed movement at their bedroom’s balcony, which faced the lake.

It was the pale form of her husband… and he looked utterly distraught. Concerned, she immediately got out of the water and grabbed her robe. Putting it on, she headed back into the castle.

When she reached their bedroom door a few minutes later, she was unable to push it open. 

"Loki?" she called, knocking on the door, hearing crashing noises coming from inside. "Loki please open the door!"

The crashing noises only increased in volume.

**He was breathing heavily, growling. He threw another vase against a wall, and roared as it shattered, the broken porcelain falling to the floor...like icy snow…**

**What in the ** ** _NORNS_ ** ** was happening to him?!**

**His body was on FIRE, his mind raced, he felt like he might burst out of his own skin...then, he heard the knocking on the door. And Iona’s voice....**

**She was calling his name.**

**The fire receded...and changed...**

** _Iona...mate...my mate..._ **

**A rumbling growl forced itself from his lips. He wanted to scream at her, tell her to run, that he never wanted to see her again…**

**And the only stronger instinct he had...was to ** ** _take _ ** **her...to bury his cock so ** ** _deep _ ** **inside her that she’d carry its imprint upon her forever.**

**He came to the door and leaned against it...something hard had grown on his head, preventing him from resting it against the door as he would have expected. He couldn’t see why, for he had already broken all the mirrors in the room.**

**“Iona...” he said...even his voice was not his own. He kept his eyes closed, torn between fear for her safety and his own unbelievably powerful urge to let her in…**

**Once she’d come in, he’d claim her. As he was meant to do... **

**He shook his head violently. ** ** _Why_ ** ** were all these strange, intrusive thoughts entering his mind?**

Suddenly, all the noise died down, and all she heard was panting. Right next to the door.

Why was Loki _ panting _?

And then she heard him call her name, in a voice that was… _ different _ . It was still _ his _voice, but deeper, more gravelly. It caused goosebumps to manifest on her wet skin.

"Loki?" she called again, softer this time, a bit apprehensive. Was he sick? 

But then again, what kind of disease could affect a perfectly healthy, young Asgardian man in his prime?

"Loki, I'm here. Please open the door. Are you unwell?"

**His mind was split in two - one side wanted her to run from him as quickly as possible...and one side would never let her get away. But when the irresistible sweet tone of her voice reached his ears, he lost the battle to resist the latter.**

**Still hunched on the ground, he unlatched the door and slowly opened it...**

**The room was wrecked. The bed had been shredded to tatters, and all the decorations, mirrors, pieces of art - they looked like a wild animal had destroyed them.**

**Loki’s head was down, and he was still breathing so hard that his throat was raw...but he couldn’t hide what was happening to him.**

**Horns. Thick, black, curling horns burst from the top of his skull and wrapped back and around like a ram’s. They were coated in a fine sheen of fresh blood.**

**With great effort, he looked up at her, his skin even more pale than usual, but...there were markings on him. Intricate patterns of lines and circles adorned his entire naked body. And as soon as his eyes fell on her...he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop himself...**

**“Run...” he said weakly, pleading for the last time before his demeanor completely changed.**

**And his skin flushed blue.**

When the door finally opened, she stepped inside and gasped in shock at the sheer destruction of the interiors. _ What had happened here? _

And then her eyes landed on Loki, who was on the floor, on his knees... but he wasn't _ Loki _. At least, not as she knew him.

She gasped again, louder this time. The first thing she noticed was the horns...dark and curling, protruding from his head like an ominous crown. Then the skin--strange whorls and patterns emerging on it. 

When he looked up at her, his eyes were RED. Completely red. Red like demons and pain and suffering, entirely awashed in crimson. In the faint light of the early morn they were aglow like embers.

Iona choked on a breath, covering her mouth as she stared at him in horror. _ What was happening to him? Had someone laid a curse on him? _

But before she could react any further, his skin took on an azure hue. She was familiar with that skin colour, especially coupled with those red eyes.

_ Jotun... _

The monsters of the childhood stories her parents had told... the dreaded creatures of the cold... 

Iona screamed in fright, her voice broken and weak. And then her feet took off on their own, unthinkingly taking her out of the castle and into the adjoining forest.

**With his skin color, his demeanor also transformed…growing possessive and beastly.**

**His mate ran from him. From HIM, ** ** _her _ ** **mate. Why was she running? How DARE she run from him!**

**He stood, slowly, uncurling himself from the floor. His MATE. Was ** ** _RUNNING_ ** **.**

**A sadistic smile stretched across his fanged mouth, his tongue running over the sharp teeth instinctively. If it was a chase she wanted...it was a chase he would give her.**

**After letting her get a bit of a head start in the forest, he started after her. He would find her. He would WIN her. He would show her what a proud, masterful, exceptional mate like himself would do for his beloved...**

**His footsteps left frosted imprints on the forest floor.**

Iona was panting, trying to run as fast as she could from the monster that now occupied the castle. She prayed to the Norns that he wouldn't chase her...

Soon, the forest thickened, blocking out the wispy early morning light. The undergrowth slowed her down, with twigs and fallen logs blocking her path here and there. 

She jumped over them, often slipping and nearly falling down. She cursed her bare, wet feet.

Finally, there came a point when she could no longer run. She stopped and tried to catch her breath, leaning against a thick old tree. 

Her brain wasn't functioning properly in her state of shock and fright. She only knew one thing--her husband, Loki, king of Asgard, was a Jotun... 

It was wrong, it was against nature. Against Asgardian values. How could it happen?

She shivered, suddenly realizing that she had let a Jotun claim her intimately. She was _ married _to him.

_ By the Norns... was this some kind of lucid nightmare? This couldn't possibly be real... _

**He followed her into the forest a ways, tracking her trail of broken branches and scraps of snagged clothing until the physical evidence of her presence faded in the thick vegetation.**

**Then he stopped, closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply.**

**He could ** ** _smell_ ** ** her...that heady scent of delicate flowers, pheromones, sweat, and everything that was unique to her…it would lead him to where she hid.**

**With another fierce smile, he opened his eyes.**

**“Where are you, my little minx…?” he growled, almost sing-song.**

**He moved slowly, making no noise in the underbrush, his predatory instincts taking over. He already knew where she was, knew where she had stopped.**

**For having initiated a chase...she was not especially proficient at evading him. Once he had her, he would train her. If she longed to be a chased rabbit, he would make her the fastest, most able rabbit in the Nine Realms. He would do anything for his beautiful, perfect mate.**

**But he had to catch her first.**

Iona hugged herself as she tried to think... think about what to do next. 

Could she somehow run back to Asgard? If she did, then what? What would she achieve?

Loki was already the legitimately crowned king. She couldn't just... go into the court and scream about him being a Jotun. He'd probably have her head upon his return...

Would the queen mother help her if she told her?

Her eyes widened as she noted that the queen mother probably already knew. She had brought up Loki since his infancy... she was a sorceress too, a very gifted one... she _ had _to know. She was in on this secret...

A low sob escaped Iona then, as she realized that she was completely helpless and alone in her predicament. What exactly could she do now?

Run away? Where to? There was literally no place she could go to to hide from him. He ruled the Nine Realms and had the all-seeing _ Heimdall _at his beck and call; he’d easily find her and drag her back kicking and screaming.

From all angles, her situation looked utterly bleak and hopeless…

She was married to Jotun…

Norns, her whole world had turned upside down. As far as she was concerned, the Uphiminn was tilting and the Yggdrasil was on fire...

She was too lost in her frenzied thoughts to realize that she was no longer alone in this patch of the forest...

**The ground began to frost around her as he approached from behind, slowly, crouched, eyes locked on his prey...**

** _My mate. My Iona. MINE..._ ** ** The words took over every thought as he approached, her smell becoming stronger, his urge to claim her blossoming into insatiability. He came up behind her, so, so close...and growled in her ear, deep, menacing, and victorious.**

**“I ** ** _win_ ** **.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... who here was expecting THAT turn of events? :P  



	17. Mate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki gives chase and catches Iona...

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

**“I ** ** _win_ ** **.”**

Iona let out a startled scream as Loki spoke right into her ear. Jumping away from him, she thought to take off again, to try and run to evade him. However, before she could run, the whole patch of woods was encased in icicles, caging her in the grove.

She looked around frantically, her eyes full of terror as she realized that she was trapped.

"Wha-" She turned around and looked at him with panic, her chest contracting in a sob.  _ Norns, was he even taller now? _ "What are you  _ doing?! _ "

**He made a noise that was both a growl and a purr as he stood to his full height and walked to her.**

**So small and delicate and lovely. He cherished everything about her - her beautiful mahogany hair, her honey-colored eyes wet with tears, the way her brow furrowed and her lips puckered in fear. His head tilted to the side as he took her in...even in her terrorized state, he wanted her more than any creature or person he’d ever known. She was made for him, part of his very soul. They were bound together...** ** _his_ ** ** Iona, ** ** _his _ ** **mate.**

**“You ran. I chased you. And now I’ve caught you...” He closed his eyes and rolled his neck, feeling the taught muscles stretch and contract in his shoulders. He was powerful, strong...an excellent mate for her. Why was she behaving so strangely?**

**He took the final step towards her, reaching for her cheek...**

Iona squeaked and tried to move away as he reached for her. However, her feet landed on ice - the ice  _ he  _ had made, and she slipped.

Much to her surprise, he caught her before she fell down and hit her head on one of the fallen logs. Involuntarily, her arms wrapped around his torso, even though her eyes still looked up at him with shock and terror.

**He stared into her eyes, searching, confused. Why did she fear him? She was his mate!**

**“Iona...you slipped...” It sounded dull and obvious coming from his lips. But he was touching her, and the contact with her skin made him tingle...** ** _everywhere_ ** **. He was still completely nude, his only adornment his natural markings, and he had no way to hide the physical manifestation of how he felt about her. Just that sight alone should have drawn her to him, eyes hooded, ready to give her body and soul to him. She should have been crawling to him in desperation, not running, not slipping and nearly injuring herself.**

**Perhaps...he had not impressed her as much as he’d thought...**

**“What do you wish of me, my love?...I am powerful. I am strong. I am the mightiest king in the universe. And I am yours. You ran, and I chased you, as you wanted. I played your game...what ** ** _more _ ** **must I do?”**

Iona trembled in his arms, nearly losing her consciousness with the adrenaline coursing through her body.

When he began to talk, in that deep, gravelly voice... she felt it vibrate in her chest. She frowned... unable to understand why he was stating all these things to her.

"What... What are you?" she asked stupidly, her voice weak and broken as tears flowed down her eyes. "H-How?"

If anything, his hold on her tightened, lifting her feet off the ground. It was reminiscent of the way he had handled her in the throne room that fateful day. And even though it filled her with fear and apprehension all over again, her confusing, traitorous body began responding to his proximity.

**THAT was strange.** ** _ What are you? How?_ **

**Her questions confused him, though her body still seemed to be reacting in the way it was supposed to. That, at least, was good.**

**“I am yours, your mate. And you are mine. Is this another of your games, Iona? What must I do to prove myself to you and have you take me?”**

Iona looked at him in confusion, her eyes still wet. It felt like this  _ was  _ Loki... but without the awareness that he was Loki, the  _ Asgardian _ .

"Loki… no games," she mumbled feebly, "I can't... I don't understand... how are you Jotun? I-I can't be with a Jotun. I'm... I'm  _ Asgardian _ ..."

With that, she began to struggle to get out of his arms.

**He felt her struggle. He didn’t let her go. She did not understand him yet. She would.**

**“Iona, what had I told you that day in that fitting chamber… when I showed you myself as a woman?”**

She stopped struggling for a moment, blinking as she remembered what he had said... what  _ she  _ had said...

"Y-You... you’re still yourself… even in that feminine form?"

**“Yes. I ** ** _am _ ** **still myself...even like this...” The memories of his Asgardian form were all still there, but they now seemed to be filtered by his Jotun perspective, his different physiology, and the strange, almost uncontrollable urge to couple with her. He did not know why he changed...though now that it was done, he was no longer afraid of it.**

** _I’m still me..._ ** ** he thought to himself...** ** _and she is still Iona..._ **

**“Mmmm ** ** _baby girl...._ ** **” he growled, grinning as he eyed her hungrily. “I am still your husband, still your king, your lover, your protector...your ** ** _Daddy_ ** **...”**

**A good portion of the leaves on the trees around them suddenly went black with frost and fell to the forest floor.**

Iona swallowed hard as she stared into his crimson eyes, caught in them like a lamb ensnared in the paws of a wolf.

When he spoke those words... they seemed to resonate in her soul. She closed her eyes and shivered, a strange kind of heat washing over her.

While she was still very afraid, she found herself getting wet as well. 

"D-Don't hurt me," she whispered, clutching his forearms, her legs still dangling in the air.

**He put his forehead to hers and never broke their eye contact. “I would never...I would kill anyone who would do you harm. I would rip them to pieces and send their viscera across the Nine Realms...”**

**He began to lower them both to the ground, being so gentle with her, but the fire and passion in his eyes made it clear he was a powerful beast, intent on making her his.**

**“I would protect you from all enemies, Iona. Fight them all until armies fell at your feet.”**

**He turned her so her back rested against his chest, then set her on her knees in the leaves and dirt of the forest, facing away from him. His hands grabbed the tattered remains of her robe and bathing suit, and he ripped every shred of fabric from her gorgeous body in one swift, strong movement.**

**He leaned down and growled softly in her ear. “For you, Iona, I would conquer the universe and present it to you on my knees.”**

Norns, his words were hypnotic. Promises... so many promises. Not that she wanted all of that from him... but these promises were spoken like gifts in her ear.

She was suddenly finding herself enthralled, despite her inherent fear of the Jotuns. 

This one... this one in particular was promising to never hurt her. She wanted to believe that. Some hidden part of her  _ did  _ believe that.

When he placed her on the ground and tore all her clothes away, she whimpered but remained submissive. Something in her subconscious compelled her to listen to him, to be open to whatever he did to her.

Was this some kind of magic at play? She didn't know... but slowly, she was surrendering herself to him.

**He felt her resistance waning, felt her relaxing into him, accepting him. His heart began to thunder...she was his mate, she was going to take him. A strange combination of carnal joy and pride filled his body. Slowly, he brought his hands to her breasts.**

**They felt small in his grasp, but her skin felt like fire - heat that he could never resist radiated from her perfect, beautiful body. His blue tones contrasted with the almost milk-white of her bosom, like snow and sky.**

**He began to kiss and nip at her neck while he fondled her, feeling her begin to tremble...but this time not from fear. His cock found itself between her legs, resting at the mouth of her arousal...and the heat that came from her, that dripped from her onto his eager sword longing for a scabbard...it was ** ** _maddening_ ** **.**

**His head swam with desire.**

**“You are ** ** _mine_ ** **, Iona. Mine forever and always. I will never leave you...you will never be alone...my Iona...”**

She breathed heavily as he nudged right at her entrance, though didn't push inside yet. She felt her body molding to his, just as the lips of her sex kissed his tip. The sensation of it was strange... for it was cool and marked like the rest of his body.

Her eyes fluttered, losing their focus as he spoke against her ear again, his lips brushing against her lobe. 

His words were possessive and intense, and almost dark in their intent. They made her shiver all over again in a strange blend of lust and fear.

**He gently pushed her forward onto her hands and knees, caging her with his body. Reaching down, he aligned himself with her, yearning to press into her slick folds...but instinct made him wait. He needed her to accept him before they bonded, before he could truly call himself her one and only mate.**

**“Iona...will you take me?”**

She arched her back and spread her legs, her hands digging into the dirt. 

"Y-Yes..." she spoke breathily, her lips trembling.

**With a satisfied growl, he pushed inside her. He moved slowly, reveling in the feel of her sweet channel - clenching and stretching around him, each inch of her velveteen heat driving him mad.**

**He repeated her name over and over, like a prayer, like a song...**

**“Iona...Iona...Iona...”**

She let out a long moan as he entered her, feeling so different and yet, still  _ Loki _ .  _ Her  _ Loki...

Her body rocked in rhythm to his, accepting him fully inside her. His body, larger than his Asgardian one, fully covered hers as he thrust into her repeatedly, taking her name in a way that had her opening her legs wider for him.

"Loki... " she moaned, pushing back at him, now fully immersed in the mating.

**He adjusted himself, bringing his knees between hers and lifting her to sit spread-legged across his kneeling lap, still facing away from him. He put one strong arm across her chest and brought her up so her head could rest on him, and began lifting and grinding her hips onto him.**

**The way her body responded, moved with him, molded with his...it felt right, natural...like she was made for him and him alone.**

**And now that she had taken him...his animal lust began to mount...he began to quicken his pace.**

Iona began to moan shamelessly then, as he all but bounced her body on his manhood, handling her like she weighed nothing, like she was a paper doll.

The ridges on his hard flesh caught and rubbed against her sensitive channel, filling her with new, breathtaking sensations.

Her hands reached up, wanting to grab something as his pace increased. They found his horns... the dark, curling, textured horns. She grabbed them tightly, liking the way he shivered in response to that.

**He shuddered with pleasure when she touched his horns, another purr-like growl escaping his lips. He was rutting into her, feral and instinctive - all of it feeling RIGHT and GOOD, exactly as they were supposed to be.**

**He felt himself coiling with the pleasure, starting to lose himself again in that blissful haze of being with Iona. No matter what form he was in, that never changed.**

**“Are you close, sweetling?” he growled her sobriquet. “We must finish together...”**

"Yes," she cried out, holding his horns tighter in her grip, grinding herself on him. 

She knew that she'd most likely end up bruised and tender afterwards, but right now, chasing her pleasure and becoming one with him was all that she cared for.

As the first ripples of her orgasm tore through her, she shuddered and scratched his horns, her body urging him to spill inside her and mark her with his seed.

"M-My king... come with me!"

**Having her hands on his horns, feeling her scorching body, and moving to her rhythm brought him close, so close that he swore he would die if he didn’t finish soon...**

**Then she uttered those words. ** ** _Yes, My King..._ ** ** And it undid him.**

**He howled, a bestial, possessive, territorial roar that shook the trees and scattered all the birds and wildlife around them. It echoed across the mountains, for all to hear that he and his mate were one.**

**Then he pressed himself into the heat of her as deeply as he could, and burst inside her tiny body, shooting his seed into her womb, claiming her as his own, making a thousand silent promises to protect her and never leave her, to cherish her for the rest of his days...**

**And it began to snow in the forest around them.**

**He kept spurting and spilling inside her till his spend drizzled from her trembling body, right onto his thighs.**

**And through their mating, she never did let go of his horns...**

Iona's breath was coming in soft pants, her body was still joined with Loki, and her heart wasn't calming down.

Loki held her against him, breathing into her neck while his seed still pumped inside her. There was a low rumble coming from his chest, like a purr, that she could feel right into her heart and her pussy.

Her body shivered, feeling the cold around them intensify as snow began to fall.

"L-Loki?" she whispered. "Snow?"

**Loki opened his eyes and looked around at the gently falling snowflakes. He looked about as surprised as she was.**

**“That’s...unusual.” he chuckled softly. “We must be a truly special pairing...even the ice blesses our union...” Then he stopped and thought for a moment - something he hadn’t done since his transformation - and said, much more like the Asgardian Loki, “Or it could be that my seidr is differently controlled in this form...”**

**He noticed that he was shrinking, just slightly. And his skin wasn’t as deep a shade of blue as it had been before.**

**While he hardly felt the cold, he sensed her trembling was changing to honest shivers. “Come my darling...let me warm you...”**

**He gently lifted her from him, then stood and wrapped his arms around her, humming a soft tune that sounded ancient and lovely. While they stood, his markings faded, his horns shrunk and receded, and he nuzzled into the crook of her neck, breathing hot air onto her skin and casting his seidr about them to create a warm spot.**

She shivered as warmth surrounded her, all thanks to him. 

Leaning against him, she stretched her legs a bit, wincing as her aches began to manifest themselves.

Slowly, she turned around to face him, looking up into his still crimson eyes. 

"W-What happens now?" she asked softly, just as he wrapped his arms around her again.

**He looked back at her, and a soft smile crossed his lips - he no longer had the fangs. As he decided how to respond, the crimson faded from his eyes, and his irises returned to their translucent green.**

**“Honestly, Iona...I haven’t the foggiest idea.” he chuckled again, but there was a touch of melancholy to it. “THAT has never happened before...and frankly I’ll need to do some research once we return, about what exactly it was.”**

**With a soft sigh of remorse, he mumbled into her hair. “I suppose you now know another secret of mine. Though, I wish I could have shared it with you in a less...terrifying way.”**

**Then, with a gentle kiss on her cheek, he led them back toward the castle, keeping the warm bubble of air around them as they found their way through the forest.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is, a wild Jotun male in his natural habitat, performing all the proper mating rituals with his chosen mate. It's a rare occurrence, for it happens only once every few years...


	18. Communication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Iona have a much-needed conversation...

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

Iona gazed at Loki from her perch at the window seat in their new bedroom overlooking Lake Ulfr, drinking tea and nibbling on fruit bread. He was pretending to read more paperwork.

They had arrived back at the castle looking all normal and perfectly clothed, while the servants had just about started the day.

Of course, they had to tell them that the room had been destroyed by a wild beast. The servants had looked at the couple doubtfully, but hadn't questioned them.

Iona didn't know  _ what _ they thought had happened… that wasn't at the forefront of her worries, her husband was.

She bit her lip and tried to straighten her back as she spoke, ready to draw his attention to her and away from the documents he was holding. "Loki, come here and have your breakfast first. And please, tell me about the... about your  _ other  _ form. I need to know what happened."

**Loki had been avoiding the discussion since they had returned. He kept the papers in front of him, kept moving his eyes, but he wasn’t reading...**

**He was in a whirlwind of confusion and anger and fear and worry. He had some theories about what it was, but he’d never expected THAT side of himself to appear so...** ** _suddenly_ ** **. He had only ever seen it himself when he used the Casket of Ancient Winters, and he had never even tried to revert back since...**

**Well, that was all behind him now. **

**He stopped the charade of reading, put the papers down, and closed his eyes before taking a deep breath and joining her at the window seat.**

**“I...was King Laufey’s firstborn. But, I was small - too small for the Jotuns. They abandoned me in a temple. Odin discovered me and permanently changed my form, then raised me as a...son.” The word was difficult to say, considering how Odin had treated him throughout his life. “I learned about my true parentage only a few years ago.”**

**He kept his eyes closed, and his voice shook as he spoke, despite his attempt to sound disaffected.**

**"It was quite the experience, discovering that I belonged to the race that was Asgard's sworn enemy."**

**What an understatement that was...**

She gaped at him, her tea and bread suddenly forgotten.

"So... you're royalty on two  _ different  _ realms? That's..." She blinked, completely flummoxed by this revelation. "That's  _ incredible _ . So... this means that everyone in the royal family knows, including the queen?"

Iona still couldn't shake the feeling of apprehension when it came to the Jotuns. Things that were taught to her since her childhood were hard to unlearn so quickly. However, she chose to remain mum about that, lest it affect Loki badly - he’d been raised with the  _ same _ prejudices, after all... 

She wanted him to talk to her about it, to share all that he knew. As his wife, it was her duty to share his burdens and ease his troubled mind. 

**“Mother has known from the beginning, but Thor only found out when—,” he sighed again. “When he returned from his banishment on Midgard. So yes, I am both King of Asgard and the rightful king of Jotunheim...not that I want the latter. Even after I killed a Laufey, I-"**

**Suddenly, his eyes opened wide and he stared at her, not believing what he had just admitted out loud.**

Iona gasped at his revelation.

"I... I thought he died on Jotunheim," she whispered, looking at Loki in absolute shock. “The Jotuns that had infiltrated Asgard… his body wasn’t among them.”

Norns, she didn't know what else to say... Loki had killed his  _ own _ father?  _ How… _ ?

She shook her head, pretending to not be so affected, pretending that she wasn’t horrified by the patricide he had committed. Her thoughts were confused and scattered all over the place, though.

Laufey and the other Jotuns had abandoned Loki as a baby. A most cruel action by far... so perhaps it was apt that he died by Loki's hand...?

She focused her attention back on her husband, ignoring the tumult in her mind. He looked so distraught and haunted, not to mention,  _ horrified _ . 

"Loki..." Slowly, she leaned over and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "He had abandoned you. I'm certain he deserved it. He wasn’t known to be a reasonable or good king either. After all, he took his people to war just because he wanted to expand his realm’s influence..."

She stopped there, conscious of the fact that before turning peaceful, Odin had not been any better.

**“I...I told him the secret way into Asgard so he could attempt to kill the Allfather while he was in Odinsleep...” The words came spilling out; he could not stop them. He’d kept this secret for so long, and he’d never spoken about it. All his secrets seemed to belong to ** ** _her _ ** **now...**

**He shuddered and looked at her pleadingly. “I tricked him into coming here...and I shot him in the back with the Gungnir, turning him into ** ** _vapour_ ** **. Iona, I am not to be pitied...I have done unforgivable things. I forced you to marry me. I...” He looked away again, trembling with shame.**

**“I truly am a monster...both in form and in deeds.” Then, with a heavy, fortifying breath, he looked at her again. “But being a monster made me a king...and you a queen.”**

Iona ran a hand through his hair, feeling him tremble. She gave him a small smile, trying to be supportive and soothing.

"It's not a new thing for me to see that you're cunning and ruthless, Loki," she said quietly, scooting over to plant herself on his lap. 

He seemed shocked by her actions, but watched her silently, a storm brewing in his eyes.

"Indeed, we're here because you compelled me... but I can't say that I hate the outcome. I'm just surprised, you know, to learn about your Jotun heritage. We were always taught to hate them, I'm sure that it has had a great impact on you, on why you see yourself in a negative light."

She bit her lip nervously as she tried to articulate her feelings on the matter. 

"I won't say that your Jotun form doesn't bother me. It  _ does _ ... It's unsettling, because I'm not used to it. Honestly, a part of me is still scared of it, but another part of me has... well..." She blushed, feeling terribly exposed. "It now associates your Jotun traits with carnal pleasure. So, I think it's safe to say that I'm fine being your wife and queen, I'm not pitying you."

**Loki was stunned. His eyes just locked onto her, the cacophony in his mind overwhelming...Norns, he would have expected anything ** ** _except _ ** **what she had just said.**

** _It’s not a new thing for me to see that you’re cunning and ruthless..._ **

** _I can’t say that I hate the outcome..._ **

** _I’m fine with being your wife and queen, I’m not pitying you..._ **

**It occurred to him that he might hate himself more than she did. For the second time since he’d chosen her to be his queen, she’d bested his silvertongue.**

**“I...how? How is it that you are so...** ** _accepting_ ** ** of this? Of me?” He searched her face, looking for the lie he swore had to be there...it had to…**

**There wasn’t any. Her expression was open and earnest, if a little bashful.**

She chuckled at his confusion, feeling her heart skip a beat as his eyes seemed to bore into her soul.

"I was raised by ruthless parents, so, admittedly, I understand better now why you did what you did. We sometimes have to make things work, accept things as they are."

She lowered her eyes then, unable to hold his intense gaze. Her hand wove into his dark locks again, seeking comfort.

"I'm still trying to adjust to you, if I may say so. It's not easy keeping up with you, but you've given me so much more than what I had been expecting from this life. If you see yourself as a monster, then I'm the monster's bride, and I'm not put off by that in the least. Not after we… after what happened in the forest."

Her blush deepened as she recalled their strange interaction … followed by the intense, almost hypnotic lovemaking.

**He closed his eyes and leaned into her hand as she ran her fingertips along his scalp...the gesture both familiar and thrilling. He loved how her hands were drawn to his hair - such a simple, intimate gesture, but one that held so much weight in his heart that it pounded at her touch.**

**“Where did you come from...?” he asked softly, mostly to himself out of disbelief. “I...I’ve never been able to be this...** ** _honest_ ** ** with anyone. Without them...turning away.”**

**His green eyes opened, and he gazed - half-lovingly, half-desperately - into her gorgeous amber irises. “I don’t know why you do this for me, Iona, but you’re something exceptional. Something I’ve never experienced before and never expected. I think...you’re giving me a chance to open up, and I can’t help myself - I ** ** _want _ ** **to share everything with you. Perhaps that’s why...I changed, earlier, in the bedroom.”**

Her eyes were back on his face, drawn back as he expressed himself a bit brokenly. She nodded encouragingly, blushing deeper at his words. At his compliments...

"As your wife, it's my divine duty to be open to you. Though, I'm sometimes very prickly and I try to vex you." She smiled self-consciously, fisting his hair in her hands. "Also, I didn't respond all that well to your transformation, if you recall. I ran away from you in fright. I-I'm still learning to be a proper wife... and I'm very glad that you feel free enough to share things with me. But Loki, I don't think that your transformation was an act of  _ sharing _ ... you were speaking, acting in such a different manner, it was all so strange."

**“I still feel strange...” he admitted, tucking a wayward strand of her hair behind her ear. “Like I’m charged with energy, and with the right ignition it will explode...”**

**He took her hand in his, then brought it up to his forehead, pressing her palm against his skin. His eyes closed in pleasure at the soothing, warm contact. “I was so scared...I didn’t know where you were - I thought you...I thought you’d left. I thought you’d come to your senses and run away, and suddenly I needed to find you. I had to get you back...because...”**

**He brought her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss on her wrist, his eyes opening, gaze shifting to her. “Because I realized I love you, Iona. And something just...** ** _happened_ ** **. I snapped, and I couldn’t get the control back. And then you were at the door...” He swallowed hard. “And I didn’t know what I was going to do to you...”**

Her eyes widened at his confession of love. She was utterly unprepared for it.

Her hands trembled, and she clenched them into fists to stop it. Could she say it back to him with all her honesty?

"I... I suppose we discovered what you were poised to do to me," she said with a nervous laugh, her heart stuttering. "You were like a rutting bilgesnipe, husband. Though, much  _ gentler _ ..."

She pressed her lips to his then, letting her body language express what she was too nervous to say out loud as yet. She hoped that he’d feel it. That he’d accept it as such.

**He smiled against her lips. He would give that word to her freely, without expectation of return, for as long as she needed. After what he had put her through in the last few months - ** ** _Norns_ ** **, in the last few ** ** _hours _ ** **\- he could expect nothing more. The fact that she accepted him - all of him, that she was still open to him, was nothing short of a miracle.**

**Returning the kiss, he slipped his tongue between her lips in a gentle, yet passionate way. Much unlike any way he’d kissed her before - there was no dominance, no pretense, no urge to move along to something more...though he certainly looked forward to ** ** _that_ ** **.**

**He pulled his lips from hers for a brief moment, only to say, “And who’d have known that the prim, proper, perfect Queen Iona had a penchant for such rutting...” His voice was playful and teasing, and before she could respond he went right back to kissing her...**

She grasped his head and returned the kiss, feeling her insides melting at the tenderness.

She hadn't expected  _ this  _ from him, at all. Especially considering how he had told her about his decision to marry her all those months ago...

He was still a dominant person, she knew that. And she was still too headstrong to be fully under his command. But having an honestly affectionate moment like this, where he shed that dominance and she shed her prickliness, felt incredible.

"Mmmm... Loki," she murmured, pulling her lips away from his sensual ones after a few minutes, her breathing uneven. "I was... I had a thought. It's a bit silly, but the ‘ _ rutting bilgesnipe _ ’ analogy gave me a thought."

**Loki’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “Well...you ** ** _certainly _ ** **have my attention.” He grinned and leaned forward, brushing the tip of her nose with his. “What did you have in mind, my little minx?”**

She giggled at his suggestiveness, but went on with her explanation nonetheless.

"Well, I was thinking... that bilgesnipes have rutting seasons." She turned a shade of pink again as she tried to express her thoughts clearly. The topic was so... sensitive and strange. "So... so, I'm thinking... do Jotuns have such seasons too? What if what you experienced was just that manifesting itself?"

**He stopped momentarily, needing a second more than usual to process her words...because his thoughts were entirely ** ** _elsewhere_ ** **. With a sheepish grin, he laughed softly, then rested his forehead on hers. “It’s a good thought. I’ll have to look more into it once we return and I have access to the royal library. IF I have time when we return...”**

**His demeanor darkened slightly. “I swear the royal court and traders will be the death of me - I just got word that the merchants are demanding additional access to the leyline on Alfheim’s moon, but it will break a treaty with the Vanir and Alfans if we allow the access. So ** ** _both _ ** **sides are now asking for me - only ME, on my honeymoon, no less - to decide how to resolve the issue...and I’m certain that it will only get ** ** _more_ ** ** complicated going forward...”**

**He sighed, then looked back up at her, obviously penitent for the change of mood. “Sorry, my love, it has been a trying day so far, and I fear I’ve ruined the moment.”**

She looked at him assessingly, her thoughts focused on finding a solution to the problem he had just mentioned.

"Don't apologise, husband, I'm sure my insides are still a bit tender from our morning jaunt." She kissed him again, chaste and sweet, and then got off his lap. "Come have breakfast now, and I'll tell you what I'm thinking of doing to those merchants. Do they happen to have a cartel of sorts? We could think about planting the seed of infighting and chaos there. That would distract their greedy minds for a while."

**“Excuse me?”**

**He stood and followed her to the breakfast table, looking surprised and confused. “What exactly do you mean, Iona? This is a political matter, not a social one...and their interests are aligned economically. And for that matter...what do YOU know about instigating infighting and chaos in the royal court...?”**

"I've been at the court, serving the queen since I was a gangly adolescent girl," she replied, buttering the fruit bread to offer it to him. “I have observed my fare share of economic and political battles in there.”

He sat down beside her, taking a bite as he watched her shrewdly.

"Anyhow, I think you should plant a few fake merchants in their cartel and tell them to influence others to act in  _ your  _ favour. Also, send in the spies to find out if any of the cartel leaders are involved in illegal economic practices as per the Asgardian law. They most certainly are... so when you  _ do  _ find out about it, you know what to do with that knowledge."

She gave him a knowing smile as she got up and rang the servants for more tea.

**“I see,” he said, eyes narrowing at her as he took another bite. “Well, as I spent a year in the dungeons prior to my kingship, I’m a bit low in trusted allies...and I certainly don’t have the time to try and find them myself...”**

**Then, he had a thought, just a hint, but his eyes widened...it might be worth asking...**

**“You...wouldn’t happen to be privy to anyone who might be willing to...aid us in this endeavor, would you, sweetling?” He made himself sound overly-casual, but his heart was racing. He hadn’t played politics with and ally in quite some time, and he’d always known she was adept at handling social situations. Now, he was also starting to understand how ruthless and sharp she was in politics and court dynamics...and frankly, it excited him.**

Iona waved the servants away and poured the tea for him herself. She grinned at him as she handed him the cup.

"You might be in luck, husband. I'll send a raven and arrange a meeting here, in the castle, after the servants leave for the night. Having a few friends involved in spying is quite fortuitous."

**He took the cup from her and sipped the fragrant warm liquid, taking just a moment to enjoy the feel of it and consider this new turn of events. **

**“So...” he said after a pause. “You understand the risks involved here, correct? You’re no longer a sheltered and anonymous lady-in-waiting...you’re the ** ** _Queen_ ** **. All eyes are on you, always. I’m sure you were quite adept at subterfuge in the court before, but you are now at the highest level - there will be a target on your back, Iona, as there has always been on mine. I’m eager to see how you handle this test.”**

**Then, with another casual glance away, he took another sip of his tea.**

**“Very eager indeed.”**

Iona looked down and began to pick at the folds of her dress. He was right, of course. And she  _ was  _ indeed nervous about this endeavour. Being a Queen, and not just any Queen, the  _ Allmother _ , was fraught with risks.

However, being the Allmother meant that she had to stand up and face these risks...

"I understand, Loki. But I also want to put an end to this issue. I know that it has been giving you some sleepless nights and stressful days. I suppose all this comes with the territory of being a royal. I'll have to get used to it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's your TEST SUNDAY, ya'll. Hope you had a blast with it. <3


	19. Rumors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iona lets a long-kept secret slip, and Loki gets mad...

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

**Despite the strange revelations of Loki’s heritage, discussions of intrigue and subterfuge, and both of their rapidly-changing irritable and insatiable attitudes, the honeymoon continued on rather pleasantly, **

**They rode horses to the meadow on the hill overlooking lake Ulfr and ate a picnic lunch under a perfect blue sky. They went swimming in the lake together (in the nude, which of course, led to less swimming and more...** ** _alternate_ ** ** activities). They shared a candlelit dinner on the balcony of their room almost every night. It should have been an ideal vacation...**

**Except for the merchants and nobles. Raven after raven arrived each day, bringing letters from all interested parties, begging, asking, or demanding that the King address the issue of Alfheim’s leyline. Loki’s days and evenings were consumed by the reports. However, the only raven he cared about arrived that morning, from Frigga.**

**He had told her about his transformation and what had happened afterwards. And, being the consummate mother that she was, she had researched the issue and sent word back.**

> ** _“Hello Loki,_ **
> 
> ** _I found some information regarding your situation. The Jotun rutting season occurs every few years in mature Jotuns who have bonded to a mate emotionally. Both males and females experience intense sexual urges for anywhere from several days to several weeks, depending on surrounding Jotun populations in the immediate area - the sparser the population, the longer and more intense the rutting season._ **
> 
> ** _So...I suppose you and Iona are rather enjoying your honeymoon. Do let me know if you need any other information about this. _ **
> 
> ** _Love, _ **
> 
> ** _Frigga.”_ **

**He was already on a constant edge of irritation, but THAT...from his MOTHER...**

**He groaned in embarrassment and lay his head down on his desk, over the stacks of papers he still needed to read.**

It was a lovely evening, with the sky turning purple because of Asgard's tilt towards the large nebula that they called Ymir's mane. 

After a long, relaxing bath, Iona donned yet another translucent lacy gown and went looking for her husband. He was most likely still engrossed in paperwork. Despite her pragmatic nature, the constant paperwork annoyed her now. 

Had she not done enough to lessen the pressure on Loki? She had arranged a secret meeting with one of her friends, who happened to be one of the best covert operators in Asgard, thereby setting in motion their shared plans against the conspiring merchants. Loki had his trust issues with her, but she had assured him and Iona that the job would be completed at the earliest. Iona had paid her from her personal funds, so that the royal treasury wouldn't be alerted.

That had been done... and still, Loki was nose deep in the papers.

"What is it now?" Iona asked as she entered the study, finding Loki rubbing his forehead and looking miserable.

She tried her best to sound casual, keeping her simmering annoyance on the wayside. Her hands draped over his back and shoulders, massaging them lightly, trying to get the tension out of them.

**He instinctively wanted to snap at her, but as soon as she laid hands on him...** ** _Norns_ ** **, her touch felt astonishingly good. He leaned back into her, now understanding and appreciating the tingling sensation he got when she rubbed his tired muscles.**

**“You were right,” he sighed contentedly, leaning back against her stomach and letting her continue the work on his tired muscles.**

His admission confused her. "Right about what?"

She thought it a small victory that he was acting favourably towards her impromptu massage. Maybe she could lure him away from the study soon...

**“The rutting season. Mother sent word - once a Jotun is emotionally bonded to a mate, it begins. And the intensity and length of it is determined by how many other Jotuns are around. If fewer Jotuns are around, then the rutting is more intense. So, you can imagine...”**

**She hit an especially tender spot, and he actually growled at the pain and pleasure of it.**

**“...I’m going to be a bit off for the next few weeks...” He felt his cock begin to strain against his pants, and he hummed in agonizing delight as her hands squeezed his shoulders. It was not ** ** _at all_ ** ** having a relaxing effect. “And my patience with the nobles grows thin...”**

"Thank the queen mother on my behalf," she jested, biting her lip as Loki groaned in the embarrassment of it all. "Well, at least we know now. Perhaps it won't be that bad if we kept... um... kept you from feeling frustrated in that regard."

When Loki didn't speak up, she tried for a change of topic to take his mind off of Jotun rutting and the fact that his mother had sent him a detailed missive regarding it.

"So... the nobles are still creating unrest at the court?" she asked tentatively, enjoying the sounds he was making as she pressed against the really hard and stiff muscles.

Meanwhile, her sharp mind began to work on a solution for those vexing nobles. The faster they were dealt with, the lesser they'd intrude upon Loki's personal time.

**“Of course they are. As always.” He kept his eyes closed - he was happy to discuss it while she massaged him. “Spreading rumors, rupturing alliances. I swear, some of the things that get suggested are just absurd, but the wilder the idea, the more interest it garners, it seems. Ugh...”**

**Again he moaned as her fingers dug into him...his toes even curled a bit as she worked, and he felt himself getting more and more aroused...also, what she was wearing, and the way she smelled… none of it was helping the matters in his pants.**

**“Norns, this is worse than the time I was accused of birthing a horse...honestly, not just fucking a horse, but ** ** _birthing_ ** ** Sleipnir? That horse is older than I am!”**

Suddenly, her fingers froze on his shoulders. Goodness, that rumour did travel far and beyond...

"But, I hadn't gone _ that _far in the story," she muttered without thinking. "It was only about Svadilfari and you... not Sleipnir. Everyone knew that Sleipnir was older than you... no?"

She noticed her slip-up far too late, for she had been far too preoccupied with enjoying her husband's responses to her touch.

**“....Iona, ** ** _what_ ** **?”**

**He quickly sat up and turned around to face her. His tenuous release of frustration all but disappeared, and he raised an accusatory brow. The arousal he felt earlier started to turn more feral...**

**“That was YOU?!”**

She backed away from him slowly, her attempt at subtle seduction all but forgotten now.

"It... it was a long time ago, Loki," she tried to say sweetly, but her voice came out all strained. "I mean, everyone has nearly forgotten about it. It doesn't matter..."

**“THE MIDGARDIANS WROTE IT IN THE EDDA, IONA!” Loki roared. “It’s accepted mythology now! Do you have ANY idea how much embarrassment I’ve suffered from that rumor?! Still do! TO THIS DAY!!!”**

**He was fuming. Somewhere in his mind, he knew that his reaction was overblown, that it was, in fact, a long-past issue.**

**But there was no way in Helheim he was going to calm down any time soon.**

**“What in the NINE REALMS ** ** _possessed _ ** **you to start such a ridiculous rumor?”**

Sweet Valhalla, he was positively vibrating with anger now. It was scary, the way his voice boomed in the study. It made her jump.

There went their short period of reconciliation...

Just as he took a step in her direction, Iona couldn't help herself... she bolted out of the room at the same time as she answered him. 

"It was my revenge on you!"

**“REVENGE FOR WHAT?!” he howled after her. He could feel that familiar fire bubbling in his body again, growing and exploding...the same fire he had felt when he had found himself alone in their bed last week…**

**His skin began to itch, his eyes were burning, and there was a sharp pain starting to intensify at the top of his head.**

**He was standing now...no, he was running, chasing after her as quickly as his legs would take him.**

**“IONA, GET BACK HERE!”**

Iona entered the sitting room and hopped over a sofa. She then kicked it so that it would block his path as she ran towards the bedroom. 

"You had coloured my hair white with your evil magic! THAT'S why!" she yelled, trying to put more distance between them. "Why can't you let it drop?!"

In all of this, she had thus far failed to notice that he was _ transforming _...

**He caught sight of her right before she kicked the sofa at him. With a quick adjustment to his trajectory, he planted a foot on it and leapt over, landing solidly on the other side. He slowed his pursuit as he watched her disappear into the bedroom...well, wasn’t that ** ** _exactly_ ** ** where he wanted her to be…?**

**The only way out was the balcony.**

**“You sullied my name for all of HISTORY because of your HAIR?! Oh, what a...stupid, cowardly thing to do...”**

**He felt taller, stronger...more vicious and voracious. His clothes suddenly felt very constricting, so he vanished them away. **

**The horns had sprouted out of his skull, his body bore his Jotun clan markings, but his eyes and skin color were yet to change.**

**This feeling - the one that had so terrified him when he hadn’t known what it was - now felt potent, energizing...full of ** ** _lusty vitality_ ** **. He was still furious, but now that fury was seeking a decidedly different release than violence.**

**“I’ll let it drop...once I give you your punishment...”**

She turned around as she heard the change in his voice. It was deeper, with a familiar growl to it.

That growl vibrated right in her heart and made it hard for her to run from him. It compelled her to slow down.

When her eyes landed upon him, she knew for sure... he was transforming into his Jotun self. THAT didn't scare her so much as the talk of a punishment...

"What?" She jumped onto the enormous bed to get away from him as he made a swipe at her. "What punishment?! You cannot be serious, Loki!"

**He reached for her again, grabbing her ankle and pulling her toward him. Everything was driving him mad - the way she looked in that dress, the pheromones coming from her, that look of terror on her face and...something that was ** ** _not_ ** ** terror...**

**The corner of his mouth pulled upward, revealing a lengthening fang.**

**“I’m entirely serious, sweetling,” his voice was so deep and dark that it sounded strange even to his own ears. “And your punishment will serve my needs.”**

**He blinked, and crimson spread through his eyes like ink, devouring the white and green, leaving nothing but his black pupils, blown wide. Slowly, patches of blue began to blossom across his body. The feeling of rage and power reached a peak...and he gave himself to it.**

**“Now bend over and be a good girl for ** ** _DADDY_ ** **...”**

"_ W-What _?" she squeaked, completely taken off guard by the sudden shift in his tone. "What do you mean? I'm not a child to be punished like that! Not even children get punished like that anymore!"

She tried to slip out from his grip, unsure and apprehensive about this ridiculous new development from him.

**Her resistance was...adorable. And pointless. He easily dragged her back to him.**

**Seating himself on the bed, now fully in his Jotun form, he laid her over his lap, chuckling at how easily he was able to overpower her frail little body. With one deft move, he pulled the dress up and over her back, then ripped her undergarments right off of her.**

**Seeing the smooth, pale swell of her buttocks on his thigh made him groan, and his cock dug into her belly as she laid over him.**

**“How many years ago did you start the rumor, Iona?” He felt amazing - in control, and yet so bestial that he could easily release that power at any moment and enjoy the rutting he so desperately wanted. But for now...even as a ** ** _Jotun_ ** **...he wanted to play with her.**

She stopped struggling once he had her over his lap. There was no point in struggling when she was so damned overpowered by him.

"I-I don't remember... it was centuries ago! I was still an adolescent while you had just come of age..."

**“It was eight hundred and twenty six years ago...” he chuckled, sliding his cerulean hand across the white of her asscheeks and reveling in how she squirmed.**

**His fingers began slipping along her center, and NORNS was she wet...practically dripping. Just for a laugh, he pushed a finger unceremoniously inside of her, then pulled it out and sucked her juices off of it...it was even better than he’d remembered. And her indignant little squeal was delightful.**

**“So you’ll receive eight strikes as punishment. One for each century of embarrassment you caused me.” Then he brought his hand down hard on her right cheek and thrilled at the heat of it. “That’s one.”**

Iona shrieked as his big palm connected with her flesh, the crack ringing across the room.

It STUNG! But more than that, it filled her with consternation.

"Loki!" She wiggled on his lap, trying to right herself. His hold on her only tightened, making it impossible for her to move even an inch.

**He pushed his fingers inside her again and began pumping slowly, being sure to stroke that sensitive spot within her that she so enjoyed.**

**“Quiet, you mewling quim. Do you know how long I tried to figure out who started that rumor? Do you understand how many innocent people ** ** _suffered_ ** ** due to YOUR misdeed?”**

**Suddenly, he pulled out of her and slapped her on her left cheek, just as a rosy hue began to blossom from the right. Her slick smeared against her skin upon impact.**

**“It gives me no small amount of satisfaction to finally have identified the one who so slandered my good name. And that’s ** ** _two_ ** **.”**

She moaned as his fingers breached her again after that first slap. The sudden switch from pain to pleasure was shocking. She had never known something like this...

And then he pulled out and slapped her bottom again, making her cry out even louder this time.

"Oh NORNS! I didn't know the rumour would travel so far! I swear! W-Wait... you didn't hurt anyone, did you?"

This whole experience was like a bad fever dream… one that also left her _ painfully _aroused. She felt him move, and her body began to tremble as she expected another slap from him.

**Instead, his fingers plunged inside her again, and his thumb rubbed her clit in a gentle, circling motion.**

**“Of course I did, darling. No one died, but that one young aristocrat with curly blond hair is never going to look at a riding crop the same way again...”**

**Then, he pulled his fingers from her...and waited...**

She gasped in shock.

"Why would you hit someone with a horse taming tool?!"

She squirmed on his lap, unsure of what was coming next. Mayhap he had given up on the spanking... she thought hopefully.

**His hand landed on her right cheek with an echoing crack!**

**“That’s three. And believe me, dear, once I’ve used a riding crop on you...you’ll understand why.”**

**Then he smacked her left cheek, harder than the previous hits. Her ass was turning a lovely shade of pink, and it radiated heat. It was infatuating.**

**“And there’s four. Halfway there.”**

"Ow!" She screamed fully this time, beginning to struggle again, her legs kicking the air. It hurt! By Ymir’s balls, it hurt!

And she was _ dying _ of indignation...

"You're NOT whipping me like an animal, you brute!"

**He leaned down close to her hair, still holding her completely immobile against his lap, his fangs grazing the shell of her ear as he spoke.**

**“Iona, someday you’ll ** ** _beg _ ** **me for it.”**

**Then he hit her again in rapid succession - ** ** _slap slap slap_ ** ** \- and immediately pushed his fingers deep inside her, pumping her quickly and attacking her clit at the same time.**

Iona couldn't comprehend what happened next..

But suddenly, she was sobbing and moaning, coming against his fingers uncontrollably.

Tears ran down her eyes as pain and pleasure melded together, giving her the sense that she'd have flown off his lap if he hadn’t been holding her down.

**He waited only long enough for her to ride out her orgasm on his fingers, but he could NOT wait any longer. **

**He flipped her around so she was straddling his lap and he surged inside her. Taking her hands in his, he put them on his horns and then thrust into her with abandon. **

**Within seconds he was exploding, practically howling as he found his completion in her heat. And yet, that didn’t stop him… it was only the beginning of his rut.**

Iona sobbed as he suddenly had her bouncing on his manhood, giving her no time at all to recover. More moans and sobs followed from her, mixing with the incoherent grunts of her husband as he rutted into her.

As their _ mating _carried onwards, she lost sense of when her previous orgasm ended and when the new one began. As it was, she was now barely hanging on the edge of consciousness.

**Even several minutes after his orgasm, Loki was still rock hard, feeling Iona’s hot, slick pussy gripping him like her life depended on it. Her face was beautifully lax, completely devoid of any overt thought, so utterly taken by the pleasure and pain. She was, simply put, like a rag doll in his grip, completely at his mercy.**

**He slowed his pace, but did not stop. They faced each other, her hands still reflexively gripping his horns for balance, and he continued to lift and drop her on his cock, watching her eyes widen and softly shut with each thrust.**

**“Iooona...” he rumbled in a sing-song manner after several ** ** _more _ ** **minutes, grinning down at her. **

**He rested her firmly on his lap, her legs still straddling him, his cock still deep inside of her throbbing channel. He took her face in his huge, blue hands, tilting it up gently and stroking her hair back.**

**“Tell Daddy how you feel...” It was almost a whisper, but the darkness in his voice remained, compelling her to answer him.**

Her hands tightened around his horns as his gravelly voice brought her back to reality. She had been floating... going through orgasm after orgasm without feeling fully conscious.

Her wet, glassy eyes looked into his crimson ones upon his prompting, her brows furrowing as she tried to process his question...

That column of flesh resting deep inside her made coherent thought quite impossible.

"I... I... " she whimpered, feeling so damn sensitive all over, not to mention, sore. She swallowed hard, her throat suddenly feeling parched. "I don't know... I need to stop... coming."

**“No, dear. You’re exactly how I want you...soft, supplicant...beautiful...”**

**He stroked her hair back again and felt his heart flutter when she nuzzled into his hands.**

**“I want to keep you like this for as long as possible.”**

**His hands travelled down her face and neck, and he gently raked his nails down her back, leaving thin red lines across her delicate skin.**

Iona moaned and trembled, feeling him twitch inside her as his nails left their mark on her. Why was this adding to her pleasure? Should it not feel... bad?

"P-Please..." She arched her back. "I can't take it anymore... Oh Norns!"

His hands cupped her sore, burning bottom. Their cold touch somewhat soothed the heated skin there, making her cry out in relief.

"Loki..." She sobbed, grinding herself against him. "Daddy please! Keep holding me! Feels good..."

**He kept his hands on the red fire of her ass, once again lifting and dropping her gently. All of her heat - from her skin, from her breath, from her ass, from her sex - it was like swimming in fire. As he made himself cooler to soothe her, she felt even warmer.**

**For a long time, they rocked and thrust together, keeping a constant, steady rhythm and reveling in the feel of each other.**

**He sighed, content and stimulated and about to come again, as she rested her forehead on his chest. He felt her impending orgasm tightening her around his chilly cock, and he wanted to finish, him and her, together.**

**“Iona...” he said, with a new hint of malice. “I haven’t given you your eighth yet...when I do, I want you to come.”**

At first, she froze, her eyes widening upon absorbing what he had just said. The eighth slap... oh Norns...

"Loki please, no more," she cried, weakly slamming her fists against his chest. However, she could feel herself clenching around him at the mere thought of getting spanked again.

Was she... was she growing excited for the spanking? _ No _...

What was he _ doing _ to her? What was he turning her into? A depraved sex fiend?

**He chuckled against her, feeling her wanting it even as she said she couldn’t take more. And truth be told...he was just about spent himself. He was thoroughly exhausted and his desires were nearly satisfied. ** ** _One more..._ ** ** he thought. ** ** _One more for her..._ **

**“On a count of three…”**

**He lifted her and dropped her again, feeling her clench around him.**

**“One...”**

**He grabbed her asscheeks a bit more firmly and rocked his hips to hit her deep and firm on all her pleasure spots.**

**“Two...”**

**He looked into her eyes - so thoroughly fucked and desperate and frightened - and his chest tightened. She was beautiful...so gorgeous and perfect...**

**“Three.”**

**His hand came down on her, and his cock erupted, filling her again with his seed.**

**He shook, he growled, he spasmed and closed his eyes as the waves of his completion pushed him over the brink of ecstasy… then he fell backward and lost consciousness.**

Iona shook her head as he counted, her body seizing as the anticipation reached its peak.

And when his hand came down on her, she screamed once again, shaking and clenching intensely on his manhood.

She came... despite her fear she came... _ right _on his command.

And it was too much, for she collapsed against his chest and went limp, her slick channel still milking his hard flesh as she blacked out.

**\-- Several hours later --**

**Loki’s eyes fluttered open. It was still dark outside.**

**It took him a few moments to gather his thoughts and remember where he was and what had happened. He looked down - he was Asgardian again. And sleeping against his chest, breathing softly against his naked skin, was Iona. He laid his head back down and looked up at the ceiling, trying not to disturb her.**

**He took a deep breath...he’d never felt like this before. He wanted to care for her, to protect her. To show her all the wonders of the universe. To give her everything she wanted and have her with him, always. To ** ** _love _ ** **her...and be loved by her return…**

**Suddenly, his world came into sharper focus - the ideals and dreams he’d had as a young prince, and then as a vassal of Thanos, and finally as King of Asgard, all seemed to pale in comparison to his desire to make his wife, his queen, his lover, HIS Iona...happy.**

**Which was why it was so odd that, upon their return to the Capital a week later, he immediately put her under house arrest in their royal chambers and blocked her access to anyone other than him.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Test Thursday! And with a monster chapter this time. <3


	20. Saboteur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reason for Iona's house arrest is revealed...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, guys. I, Latent_Thoughts, was travelling and hence, didn't get the time to edit the chapter properly with my partner in crime, EmeraldRoseQuartz.   
BUT, we persevered, and now the chapter is yours to behold. **Feast your eyes!**

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

Iona paced around in her chambers--or was it her prison now?--feeling increasingly restless and nervous.

On the trip back from their honeymoon, Loki had begun acting strangely. He had grown painfully quiet and reticent, much to her displeasure. 

And now... now he had confined her to her chambers, disallowing anyone from seeing her, or for her to seek any company at all. She couldn't go out, for he had locked her in with magic, and no one except him could enter.

She waited for his return for hours, and finally, when he  _ did  _ show up, he was looking very put out, as though  _ he  _ was the one under a magical lockdown, not her.

**Loki closed the door behind him and sealed it with magic. It would do no good to have anyone hear them or enter without his knowledge...and he had to be especially careful.**

**As he turned to face his wife, hoping beyond hope that she would trust him without all the facts he knew she wanted, he had to duck quickly out of the way as one of her shoes flew toward his head with incredible accuracy and force. He barely avoided it, and it smashed against the wall.**

**So...it appeared there would be no need for pretense.**

“Start talking.  _ Now _ ,” Iona growled, breathing heavily.

She was glaring at him, her fists clenched in anger. Her patience was at its end, and she was in no mood for any of his usual deflections.

“Don’t make me throw my other shoe at you as well.”

**“I’m afraid I’m not going to unfold the answers you want, Iona.”**

**Loki kept his voice firm and steady, watching her warily, as though she were a bilgesnipe about to charge him. He needed her to stay ** ** _calm_ ** **.**

**“Some information has come to light that is rather...** ** _disturbing_ ** **. And while I don’t believe it completely...I can’t take any chances. That is why you must stay here.”**

**He kept his eyes locked on hers, at once begging for and demanding her compliance with just that paltry explanation.**

“What does that even mean?” she asked, feeling utterly exasperated with him and his annoying crypticness. “Loki, I’m your wife, I’m the queen! Why am I locked up in our chambers?”

She walked up to him and tried to search his smaragdine eyes, silently pleading for him to share more with her. But his gaze was guarded and opaque, giving her the impression of an impenetrable wall.

Seeing his stubbornness, she tried to change her tactics, softening her expression and grasping the lapel of his tunic. “ _ Please, Loki…  _ what is it? You know that I will not share it with anyone, whatever it is that’s bothering you. I had passed your tests, hadn’t I? Why are you doing this to me?”

**He pulled himself out of her grasp, taking several steps away from her, though he couldn’t hide how it pained him to do so. He steeled himself and took a deep breath before speaking to her again.**

**“If my theory is correct, this will all be resolved soon. But until then...I need you to stay here, ** ** _away _ ** **from anyone else. If you trust me...you’ll do this.”**

It hurt… the way he pulled away from her, offering no explanation as to why he was treating her like a pariah.

Feeling defeated and no less angry with him, she turned away and made for the bedroom.

"Fine, have it your way,  _ sire _ , but do not expect me to hide my displeasure or welcome you here with a warm smile."

With that, she closed the bedroom door with a loud clang. There  _ was _ a tiny hope in her heart that he'd chase her, that he'd enter bedroom in haste and embrace her… but that didn't happen.

Instead, she heard the main door open and close, with his footsteps retreating. 

Once again, she was left alone for hours. 

Loki didn't return for the rest of the day, not even during mealtimes. Somehow, magically, her meals arrived on time, even though she just left them untouched because of her misery.

This continued for three whole days… as her patience with him grew thinner and thinner, his strange behaviour also grew more pronounced. To the point wherein he had stopped sleeping their bed, choosing to spend his nights in his study instead.

Iona felt trapped and distressed, and slowly, it stoked her anger like a burning hot firepit.

Why was Loki  _ doing _ this to her? She had thought that they had grown close during their honeymoon. She had given herself to him completely, accepted his secrets, and tried to help him with Asgard's political crisis.

What had she done wrong? Was it not enough? Was  _ she  _ not enough…?

Her musings had turned inward by the end of the third day of her house arrest, with dark thoughts of abandonment piling up in her head.

Sighing heavily, she went to her balcony and tried to get some fresh air to ease her psyche. This was the only way she could, for the royal gardens were now inaccessible to her. Spending her evenings watching the sunsets and moonrises was just barely keeping her sane.

"I'm so tired of your changeable, strange ways, Loki. What are you up to?" she grumbled to herself, splaying her arms over the railing as she thought up a few ways to get back at him… to make him beg for her forgiveness.

**Suddenly, a soft sound came from the door. A letter slid underneath, and on the front was her name, written in what could only be Loki's flourishing handwriting. Inside, she found a note:**

**"Keep your wits about you. There is a ** ** _‘snake’ _ ** **among us."**

She had just enough time to wonder what  _ that  _ might mean when there was a knock on the door. It was two of the Einherjar - from Loki’s personal security detail.

"Queen Iona," they said in unison, both thumping an arm across their chests in salute. "We have been sent by King Loki to escort you.”

Iona nodded to the soldiers, hiding the note in her palm.

"Escort me to where, though?" She looked at them with doubt. Could they be lying?

Loki's note really made her treat everyone as a suspect now, even though she didn’t even know  _ what  _ exactly she was suspecting them of. She just hoped that this wasn't one of his elaborate tricks.

"Follow us, your majesty," one said, blatantly not answering her question. But it wasn't long before they were headed in a familiar direction, and Iona found herself in the king's council chambers.

**Loki sat at the head of a long table, joined by the nobles from the court on both sides. As soon as he laid eyes on her, he felt a lump in his throat, though none of the others would have seen it. He made sure his face was as ruthless and accusatory as he could make it.**

** _Time to see if she’s as good at politics as I’ve hoped..._ **

**"Iona," Loki said. His voice was sterile, almost emotionless, intended to intimidate. "Approach. We have some questions for you."**

"We?" she muttered as she approached the head of the table. "I only answer to you, my lord husband and king."

She noticed that the nobles were beginning to glare at her as she walked towards Loki. They had the  _ audacity  _ to do so...?

Feeling incensed and outraged, she glared right back at them.

Then, she focused back on Loki and found him clenching his jaw in impatience. Norns, she hadn't seen his eyes grow so frosty in years. 

What had she done? What was going on? She felt so confused and exposed, with the nobles witnessing this oddly cold behaviour of Loki towards her.

There would be  _ so much _ court gossip now...

**"Iona. Can you explain to me why I found this in your personal effects while we were on our honeymoon at Lake Ulfr?"**

**Loki brought a small glass vial up on the table - it was dark, almost black glass, with swirls of shimmering green that seemed not to stop moving. He watched her as she regarded it, his gaze unmoving.**

** _Come on, Iona... _ ** **he encouraged her in his mind, though he knew he could not show it. Hopefully, though...she would know, somehow.**

All color drained from her face as she saw the glass vial, the murky green liquid inside taunting her. She knew what it was, but she didn't know how it was found in  _ her  _ personal belongings. 

Was this... was this why Loki had been acting so strangely all these days? Was this why she had been put in house arrest?

Did he suspect her of trying to  _ assassinate  _ him?!

How could he even  _ think  _ so…?

Suddenly, she was on a very shaky ground, and she knew that being tried for treason was a very real possibility. He was the king, and she was still lower in station to him by way of her birth. She could very well be subjected to severe punishment, possibly even an  _ execution _ .

_ Think Iona, think. This is obviously a sabotage. Who would do it? _

She swallowed hard as she stared at the vial, then back at Loki, pleading to him with her eyes.

"I don't know, y-your majesty. That is not mine," she replied finally, hands wringing together. "Why would I carry a vial of  _ myrkormr  _ venom with me? I have no use for it."

**"Why indeed..." he growled. The nobles around him nodded sagely, sycophants that they were. Oh how he ** ** _despised _ ** **them right now...**

**He tried to watch them from the corners of his eyes, though he well knew that looking at anyone directly might give away his suspicions.**

**"I'm impressed you even know what this is, given that it the myrkormr only resides in Muspelheim. How do you know about this particular tincture, hmm?"**

**Though Loki couldn't see their faces from this angle, he was sure the nobles were either glaring at her or had on such smug sneers that he probably would have punched them. One of the nobles, a skinny man named Rajmund, settled back in his chair. Another, Valdemar - one of the merchants’ guild - made a noise of agreement, as though that were proof enough for him of her illicit intentions.**

By now Iona's knees were shaking. It was only through the practiced calm that she had learned at the court that she was able to mask it and appear somewhat stable.

Did Loki really believe that she was keeping a deadly substance with her? He was clearly  _ suggesting  _ it, with his body language and tone, that he  _ did _ . 

Why didn't he ask her privately? Why the show with the nobles? Did that mean that he had already decided her fate?

Tears brimmed in her eyes as she lowered her gaze, her mind still trying to work out why or how that vial could have gotten in her personal effects.

"I-I only know of it because it is used as a medicine, in much diluted form," she replied, still unable to look Loki in the eye as she thought hard about the venom. "I used to accompany the Queen Mother on her visits to the healing wards. I had seen it there, used as a cure for severe nerve damage."

Suddenly, something dawned on her...

"And the medical supplies for the tinctures come exclusively from Lord Harald's lands," she added, finally meeting Loki's eyes. "I was involved in overseeing the supply contract with the Queen Mother. That's all that I know of it."

**There was just a hint of a spark in Loki's green eyes as she said that name, but he hoped it was enough for her to see that he was following her line of thought.**

**"I see..." he said. Of course, Lord Harald was one of the eight high-born nobles sitting in the room...one of the foul creatures who had come to seek alliance with the king once the rumors of what he'd found had spread.**

**"So...how would you have gained access to it? Those supplies are heavily guarded, and only those with a healer's sigil can open the magically sealed closet where they are stored..."**

**Loki saw the other nobles beginning to shift uncomfortably, ** ** _especially _ ** **Harald...**

Iona clasped her hands together, nodding to Loki. His eyes seemed somewhat less cold now, though he still looked very calculatingly at her. The accusing tone hadn't changed.

"That is exactly why I cannot have access to it... not even to a diluted solution of the venom from a healer," she stated, beads of perspiration now marking her forehead. "Unless I've developed a nerve disease of some sort. Then again, the healer would've administered the doses directly to  _ me _ ."

She then looked back at the nobles, who were still glaring at her, except Harald, who looked a bit white in the face.

"Your majesty, even with my authority as a queen, I cannot acquire a vial of the concentrate. It is mentioned in the contract that no one, without any exceptions, can have the venom on their person, not even the king. Not even Lord Harald. The venom has to remain in a confined, strictly demarcated area within his lands. It can only leave the area--the tincture production unit--after processing."

**"Is that so..." Loki turned to Lord Harald. "I wonder, then, how it ended up in with the queen's items that were brought to Lake Ulfr. Although...Harald, was it not YOUR skiff that we used to reach our honeymoon destination? It was so kind of you to offer it, but there now seem to be some unusual coincidences coming to light..."**

**Harald was very pale now. "You majesty...I...only offered my best skiff out of the kindness of my heart. I had no idea about the queen's nefarious intentions-"**

**"Iona?" Loki cut him off and looked at her, the coldness gone. But not the malice...now it was more of an invitation. "Could you please explain how the poison ended up in your personal effects?"**

Iona turned to glare at Harald as she spoke. "I don't know, my lord husband. The skiff was Lord Harald's, as you say. I wasn't even aware of that. The servants who loaded my luggage therein belonged to him as well, I suppose."

Harald got up from his seat then, and raised an accusing finger at her. "She's the one who acquired and carried that vial! She's the one who tried to kill you, your majesty! She has always conspired against you!"

Iona felt a bit of a relief at his reaction, knowing that it was very telling. He was exposing himself here.

"We could interrogate the servants," she suggested, ignoring the now belligerent noble. "They might disclose something in the light of a possible pardon. I’m sure the Gatekeeper can shed further light on it, especially in identifying the servants that were involved."

**“Indeed, my dear,” Loki grinned. “And for safe measure, Harald, you will be waiting in the dungeons until our investigation is complete.”**

**“You CAN’T do this! I’ve been nothing but loyal to you, your Majesty!” Harald cried, his eyes wide. “And Heimdall cannot make any revelations regarding the incident, for you were using your cloaking spells against him!”**

**“SILENCE!” Loki barked, and Harald instantly shut his mouth, shaking with rage and terror.**

Iona shivered a bit as Loki raised his voice, the Jotun tone bleeding into it as he ordered Harald to be silent. 

She watched, still standing at the head of the table with the poise and grace of a queen, as the Einherjar entered the room once again and grabbed Harald in their inescapable hold. 

She noticed then, that the other nobles at the table were white faced as well, some even looking like they were going to be sick. Good. They deserved it for gloating and silently enjoying her humiliation at the king’s hands.

"Might I suggest sending the rest of them to the dungeons as well, just as a precautionary measure, my king?" she asked, giving Loki a docile smile. "We wouldn't want a spread of rumours through them while Lord Harald is being investigated. It wouldn't amount to actual,  _ official  _ imprisonment, but just as a precautionary incarceration."

She knew that she was treading a fine line and acting a bit too sinister for an  _ Allmother _ . She was supposed to display kindness and sagacity, but not with too sharp an edge. However, she didn't care much for that kind of perception building right now. 

Iona felt thirsty for the blood of those who had tried to wrong her. She felt as though a serpent was indeed coiled around her psyche, offering her the dark path of revenge.

**Loki thanked the Norns again that he was seated, as that vengeful and gorgeously sinister smile on Iona’s face - disguised as a docile and prim expression - made his cock hard as stone almost instantly. Ymir’s ** ** _balls_ ** **, the woman was incredible! Perfect in every way on the surface...and just as ruthless and calculating as he was underneath. He grinned at her, adjusting his position to accommodate the new bulge in his lap.**

**“Now, dear, these men have done nothing but show their support for me during a time of great uncertainty. And now that we have weeded out the traitor, they are fully aware of the consequences if they meddle with either of us...” He looked around the table at the nobles shifting uncomfortably, and his grin widened.**

**“We can always bring them in later, if any new information comes to light. Which, I’m certain there won’t be a need for, yes, gentlemen?” His eyes narrowed as he looked at each of them nodding nervously in response.**

Iona pouted a little as the nobles all stood up rather quickly, bowing to Loki and her in a most subservient manner.

And then they retreated from the room hastily, almost tripping over their high-born robes.

As the room emptied, Iona turned around see Loki rising from his seat at the head of the table. She gave him the sweet, docile smile again as she approached him.

He grinned and leaned against the table, looking rather smug. 

Oh, how she wanted to wipe that smugness from his unfairly handsome face. She pressed herself to him and sighed.

"Dearest husband, that was most entertaining," she murmured, surreptitiously pulling the dagger that she had hidden in the folds of her dress. She brought it right to his throat in a single move. "But if you ever do this to me again, I'm going to  _ actually  _ make an attempt on your life."

**He didn’t even flinch.**

**He just grinned at her, took her other hand gently, and moved it to his crotch. His bulge throbbed at her touch.**

**“You were wonderful, darling. Just stunning… I’d die a thousand deaths at your hand, just to witness your wrath.”**

**He felt the blade moving along his Adam’s apple as he spoke, and a chill went down his spine. Part of him wanted to dare her to do it - to cut his throat...and the other part reveled in the fact that he ** ** _knew _ ** **she wouldn’t. That he ** ** _trusted _ ** **she wouldn’t.**

**“I found the vial in your wardrobe after our..** ** _.incapacitating conjuncture_ ** **, when you took your punishment with the strength and grace that even a Jotun could appreciate...”**

**He moved closer to her, pressing his body against hers.**

**“Which, I thought was a rather sloppy way for someone to go about trying to kill me. ** ** _Especially _ ** **someone with your intellect and talents...”**

**He got nose to nose with her, the blade of the dagger still dancing with his words.**

**“...And that the best way to expose whoever was trying to frame you would be to behave as though I were afraid for my life from ** ** _you_ ** **...and once I’d narrowed it down, I thought I’d see if you could determine who was the culprit. Congratulations, my dear. Test passed, with flying colors.”**


	21. Submission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iona holds Loki at knifepoint. Literally.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

Iona growled at him in anger, still pressing the blade to his throat as he spoke. 

Her cheeks turned several shades redder when he mentioned the  _ punishment  _ he had meted out to her at Lake Ulfr again. Norns, he was  _ utterly  _ shameless...

"A test. A  _ jest _ . What a humorous little event you orchestrated here," she muttered, digging into his crotch with her nails. "Does it ever end with you? Do you even  _ realize  _ the harsh impact your little test had on me?"

**Having her holding him at her mercy - cock in one hand, dagger against his throat in the other - was ** ** _aphrodisia_ ** **. Loki made a noise that almost sounded like a purr and a whimper.**

**“I told you, sweetling...I will ** ** _always _ ** **test you. And should it ever end...that’s when you should be concerned, because something would be ** ** _terribly _ ** **wrong with me.”**

**Her anger was like honey mead; he ** ** _loved _ ** **it. He yearned for her to show him what punishment she had in mind for him...certainly he’d earned it after keeping her in the dark for almost three whole days...**

She couldn't believe it. He was growing  _ harder _ in her harsh grip... while she was threatening him!

He was a twisted bastard...

Well, she could give him the twisted charms if he so wanted them.

"Really?" she asked, licking her lips seductively, running her dagger down his throat, the edge sliding through his royal tunic and jacket like they were butter.

Once through with them, she reached the edge of his pants and caressed his navel and abdomen with the blade, watching the muscles therein clench in response.

"Close the doors and windows if you don't want your subjects to be scandalized."

**Like an explosion emanating from him, a blast of seidr went out and every door and window in his council chambers shut and locked instantly with a loud crack of wood on stone.**

**He groaned as the sliced remnants of his shirt and jacket fell from his arms to the floor, and goosebumps blossomed on his skin as she ran the blade along his stomach. He dared not move an inch.**

Iona watched him closely as she ran the blade up to his nipples, scratching one lightly with the blunt edge.

"Open your pants, my king," she purred, still playing the dagger against his sensitive skin.

**He lifted his chin, looking down at her with hooded eyes. He hands moved to his breeches and untied them for her. Swallowing hard, his arms went obediently to his sides yet again.**

Iona felt drunk on this new power over him, that he had handed to her, even though she didn't quite know how to wield it properly.

This was new territory.

Still, she reached for his manhood with renewed enthusiasm, nearly forgetting that she had been angry with him.

Pulling his hard length out, she began to caress it with the dagger as well, very careful this time around. She didn't want to nick him in his most sensitive parts, after all; that would be bad for  _ her  _ as well. It surprised her that he was even allowing her to go this far...

However, his increasingly laborious breathing suggested that he was quite enjoying this treatment.

"Do you repent, dear husband?" she asked, running the blade up to his tip, tickling it a little. "Do you want to beg me for mercy?"

Her other hand grasped his inky locks and pulled his head back a little so that she could leave marks on his neck with her lips and teeth.

**“I beg your forgiveness, my queen...” he said, his voice cracking and harsh. The intoxicating mix of fear and surrender made his head swim, and the feel of the sharp blade against his most prized possession had him standing ramrod straight and desperately unmoving.**

**And when she grabbed his hair and marked him with her teeth, he whimpered in suppliance.**

**“Please...have mercy...”**

His pleading nearly made her moan. She was so damn wet and swollen... she was even breathing heavily now.

"You're fortunate that your wife is merciful," she said against his throat, biting his adam's apple playfully. 

Meanwhile, she twisted the dagger beneath his aroused flesh and bounced it on its hilt, making the clear liquid it was producing drip over the blade and her hand.

"Get back into your chair," she commanded, pulling away suddenly.

**He gasped as her touch left him, eyes fluttering open; he hadn’t even realized he’d closed them.**

**Fully erect, his manhood jutting out of his open pants, he silently turned and walked back to the head of the table to sit where she had instructed. His brow peaked as his emerald eyes watched her, all hint of defiance gone from them.**

**She was thoroughly and utterly in control.**

She lifted her skirts and stood before him, showing him her lacy, almost translucent intimate wear. "Pull them down," she ordered, looking at him coldly--well,  _ pretending  _ to look at him coldly.

When he followed her command without a hitch, it nearly made her giddy with excitement. The only tell of his frustration was in his eyes, which appeared to be containing molten passion in them.

"You're not allowed to touch me until I grant you permission," she stated further, straddling him in a single move. "Keep your hands to the sides, grasp the chair if you want to, but not me."

With just a few movements atop him, she was sliding down on his hard flesh, slowly taking him into her wet sheath.

**Norns, he wanted to grab her hips, her back, her hair, her breasts...** ** _anything_ ** **! But instead, his hands clenched on the armrests of the chair - he swore he heard it splintering, but his eyes were so firmly shut he could not see it for himself.**

**His throat danced as he swallowed and panted and groaned, fighting with himself to remain obedient while his body demanded action. The dominance that came so easily to him struggled against his psyche while she took him, and his body arched as he strained with the physical pleasure and mental torture.**

**Well, he did deserve it all for keeping her in the dark...**

Iona moaned as she took him fully, her bottom now resting on his thighs. His eyes were closed now, and he was clearly struggling to maintain the submissiveness she was demanding of him.

"Open your eyes, my king," she murmured as she leaned over him, the dagger still in her hand. "Look at me while I take my pleasure from you."

When he did open his eyes, they were crimson.

She didn't let  _ that  _ affect her, choosing instead to press the blade's blunt edge against his lips. "This is my favourite blade. You've messed it up, covered it in your essence. Lick it clean for me."

**Loki felt the now-familiar itching on his skin and burning in his eyes that preceded his unintentional transformation. Moreso, the surge of feral possession and protectiveness that percolated within him hammered at his already tenuous restraint.**

**“Iona...” he growled, his voice beginning to change and deepen. To accompany the change in his voice, the dark Jotun horns also started sprouting from his skull...**

**But even as he said her name, she pushed the knife onto his tongue, and he tasted himself upon it as he brushed his tongue across it. He was shaking now, taking long and labored breaths as his fangs lengthened and his markings began rising from his skin...**

**“I don’t know...how much longer...I can take this...” he groaned, his cock so engorged within her that he swore she would rip in half from it. How in Hel was she keeping such a placid look on her face...?!**

Iona began to move up and down on him as she saw the transformation happen. She knew that she was on borrowed time, that his control would slip.

"Good boy," she praised him as he licked the knife clean, cupping his cheek in her hand. "You have to take this, husband, for you tormented me for days. Feeling you withdraw from me without knowing the reason was not pleasant."

Tracing the markings on his chest with the blade, she kept moving methodically over his slick, hard column of flesh. It was getting tougher to move now, though, for he was filling her so completely and making her insides melt.

Still, she wanted to carry this teasing pace for as long as she could.

**He let out a bestial noise, now fully Jotun, and leaned into her hand as she praised him. Surprisingly, he found that he longed to be compliant when she complimented him - that primeval, instinctive drive that craved her approval fell complacent at her words.**

**“My queen...” he moaned as she rode him, his head falling back and his lips parting gently, exposing his fangs. “I am sorry. Please...whatever you wish. I am yours.”**

"Yes, you're mine. Don't you forget that, husband. Now... take my clothes away," she ordered, kissing his thin violet lips softly, tracing her tongue over his fangs slowly. "But keep those hands where I told you."

She was loving this shift in their dynamics immensely. He was fully Jotun now, and still, he was compliant and submissive to her. Norns, she had never thought it possible...

"You want to come?" she moaned against his lips, clenching around his manhood with all her strength. "Tell me, husband..."

**“I want what you want...” he said softly, then bent down and took her bodice in his mouth. Without removing his hands from the armrests, he tore her dress off bite by bite.**

**It wasn’t hurried or desperate, but reverent. He was careful never to interrupt her motions, and after minutes of delicate work, her entire outfit lay in tatters on the floor.**

"With the way you're going through my dresses, there's going to be nothing left for me to wear," she whispered, grasping his hair again to bring his lips to her breast. 

He growled against her flesh, hungrily pulling her taut nipple into his mouth as she increased her pace. 

Iona slowly pushed the knife between them and pressed the cold metallic hilt to her clit, moaning louder at the pleasure she just gave herself.

"Mmmm... I'm so close, Daddy, do you feel it? Do you feel my quim tightening around you?" she asked, playing up the false innocence in her voice.

**His entire body was tingling, every nerve alight and aware and alive. He felt like he was drawing pleasure from her everywhere they touched - his mouth on her breast, her hands in his hair, his cock in her burning hot center, everywhere their skin touched radiated with electric vibration.**

**"Yesss," he was barely able to speak. Pleasing his queen and humming with pleasure himself, his mind was a whirlwind of sensations and feeling with not a single coherent thought other than to bring her to orgasm before finally coming to his own peak.**

**And that ** ** _fucking _ ** **dagger...every time that cold piece of metal came between them, he felt like a wolf was manifesting within him. Every instinct screamed at him to bite and take and lose control - the only thing that prevented it was his love for her...**

Iona was now bouncing on his thighs, eyes nearly closed in pleasure as she teetered towards her orgasm.

"Yes... Loki, I'm so close..." She rubbed the dagger's pommel against her sensitive nub, going harder and harder. However, it wasn't her husband's finger, and that's why it wasn't really working in her favour.

Finally, she threw the dagger away and grabbed his hands. "Hands on me. Now!" she cried impatiently.

**His hands instantly went to work - one on her clit, the other holding her to him by her lower back. He pressed his thumb along her glistening pearl with equal force and enthusiasm, and he lifted and dropped her on his cock to match her rhythm, moaning gasps and cries echoing from his chest and throughout the chamber.**

**He was tipping over the edge, everything taut and ready to snap, coiling tighter and tighter...bringing his beautiful Iona to completion.**

Iona grabbed his neck and held on tight as her orgasm hit her. Her nails dug into his skin as her cries of grew louder and louder.

"Loki!" His name left her lips repeatedly, till her voice grew a bit hoarse and her body collapsed against his.

She could feel him throb inside her then, marking the beginning of his climax. A small smile played on her lips as he joined her in the throes of an intense orgasm. Hearing and  _ feeling  _ him come was a pleasure in itself...

**Everything released. All the building-up and tightening and yearning was instantly and overwhelmingly satisfied in a flood pleasure and relief and...well, ** ** _disbelief_ ** **. **

**His vision blurred, and he felt as though he were floating; where they joined was the only grounding sense he could recognize. He emptied himself completely, reveling in the feel of her slick walls milking him as he bonded himself to her with his seed.**

**Panting, sweating, and exhausted, he rested back in the chair, his throat smarting from the heavy breathing and exertion.**

**He couldn't have moved if his life depended on it.**

She kissed him tenderly as he panted, still feeling him releasing inside her. Oh, it was such a delicious sensation... she was getting addicted to it.

"Are you all right, husband?" she asked naughtily, giggling a bit as he groaned.

**"Not...yet..." he breathed, still rumbling with the aftershocks of his orgasm. His body trembled gently underneath her, both hands resting on the small of her back.**

**It took several minutes for his mind to pull itself back together. With a grunt and a deep sigh, he sat up, still fully sheathed inside his queen. **

**As he gazed upon her with barely open eyes, he could feel his Jotun side receding. ** ** _That _ ** **was a relief...**

She kissed his horns as they slowly receded, stroking his hair soothingly.

"I hadn't expected this much submissiveness from you, to be honest. I thought you'd just grab me and take me the way you wanted..."

She looked into his eyes as the red slowly bled out, giving way to the verdant green. Somehow, both the colours suited him equally. He was beautiful in both his forms.

**"I'm the God of Mischief, darling..." he quipped as his skin returned to its pale shade and the markings faded. His voice had also returned to its normal tone. "I severely doubt I'll ever behave as you expect. But I hope I've shown you that my motivation is devotion to you, regardless of my behavior."**

**He looked at her with so much love that he was almost embarrassed by it. But if anyone deserved to see him at his most vulnerable, it was ** ** _her_ ** **.**

**"I love you, Iona," he said as he finally relaxed into his Asgardian form. **

She kissed him again, wrapping her arms around his neck to hold him tightly. That confession of love that came so easily to him still evaded her somehow, but she didn’t let it bother her for now.

Right now, she simply accepted the love from him… and gave it back to him in ways that she  _ could _ .

“Mmmm, now tell me,” she said after pulling away from his addictive lips. “Share with me how you went about gathering the suspects.”

**He tapped her on the nose affectionately, giving her a wicked grin as she pulled herself off his lap.**

**"As you wish, my queen. But first, may we share a spot of tea?"**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here was your Test Thursday treat, yo. Hope ya'll liked it. <3


	22. Bet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iona and Loki bet on certain things, because being a normal, peaceful couple is beyond them.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

**Loki was bent over his workbench, rapidly scribbling notes about his observations - these new samples from the leyline in Alfheim were some of the purest he’d seen. He had several quill pens behind him, copying his notes as he wrote them, so when he presented his findings with the merchants’ council, each person could have a copy.**

**He also had several other samples from different areas being processed on the counter near his supplies - flasks and beakers floated near the burners and added liquids as was necessary. He could move on to those once he’d finished with this one.**

**Loki was tracking everything, of course. He was a master multitasker, and the seidr that flowed through him and manipulated the objects was simply an extension of himself, at this point.**

**His hair kept falling in front of his face as he worked, and so with a huff, he pulled a green ribbon from thin air, then let it go. It hovered there for a moment before it flew over and tied his hair back into a pristine ponytail, every strand in place.**

**At this rate, he was pretty certain that he’d be done in a little less than an hour...**

Iona watched her husband from the doorway of his study, both amused and kind of envious. She had come over to see what he was up to, since he hadn't joined her in bed yet.

"What's going on in that busy brain of yours? Isn't it about time you came to bed, Loki?" she asked, stepping into the room carefully, avoiding the hovering beakers as she reached him. 

**“Soon, darling,” he said, still focused on the samples in front of him. “I’m meeting with the merchants tomorrow, as you know. After your little friend’s meddling, they’ve finally agreed to settle for a pact, with certain ** ** _conditions_ ** **, of course. I need to finish analyzing these leyline samples. They claimed the quality of the raw material was subpar...so of course I had to check for myself. Lo and behold...” He stopped then, and turned, smiling at her. “The bastards lied to me. Again.”**

**Then he turned back, the quills behind him began their writing again as he started up. “I’ll have to come at them with proof if I want to protect that resource. But don’t worry - I won’t be much longer.”**

Iona leaned against his large study table, resting her bottom on its edge. She didn't budge from there, just watching him as he worked. 

Well, she may have been pouting as well.

"Can't it wait till tomorrow morning? I... I want to retire for the night." She started unbraiding her long mahogany hair, ‘accidentally’ unhooking a few of her nightgown's front buttons, revealing the swells of her breasts. "I've read that concentration in work and study is better during the early morning time. Why don't you try that for a change?"

**All of the items in the room slowed as he turned again to his wife. He wore that now-familiar expression - as though he wanted to eat her alive - for several seconds as his eyes traversed her body. Then, with a sigh, the room resumed its earlier speed and he turned back to his work-desk.**

**“Oh, Iona. I wish I could. ** ** _Truly_ ** **. But I’m right in the middle of this and I need it early tomorrow. I’ll be done within the hour...then I’ll use this seidr for something much more...** ** _appealing_ ** **.”**

**He growled the last word with lust, though he wasn’t looking at her. Now he was aroused AND in a hurry to complete this analysis.**

**He pulled a small box out of thin air, then tossed it to her quickly. “I ordered these for you - thought you might enjoy them while I’m occupied.”**

She could barely catch the box; he had tossed it at her in such haste. 

Curious and eager to see what might be inside it, she opened it quickly. It contained an assortment of chocolates. 

"Oh!" she gasped, almost bouncing in excitement. "I haven't had these for so long! Well, you ruined my collection not long ago. So it's apt that you replaced it."

She smirked at him cheekily as she leaned towards him to give him a kiss. It was supposed to be a chaste kiss, but somehow, the feel of his lips against hers... it made her want to taste his tongue. She was unable to help herself from deepening the kiss.

**Loki almost dropped the glass equipment as she slid her tongue in his mouth, and he moaned into her. His cock sprang to attention, but he backed away from her, taking her hips in his hands and gently pushing her away from him with a look of genuine apology.**

**“I’ll finish as fast as I can. I promise.”**

She pulled away with a frown, opening the chocolate box and popping one in her mouth. 

"I bet you can't live _ one _day in your life without your seidr," she muttered, chewing slowly. "You're so overly dependent on it, it's like your fifth limb, isn't it? Like a monkey's tail..."

Norns, she was growing angry now. How could he just... brush her aside like that? Couldn’t he sense her need for him? 

**“Excuse me?” he said indignantly. “A monkey’s tail?” Just to show off, he took everything he was controlling, brought it to the center of the room, spun it into a sphere, and then commanded them all to go back to their tasks. “** ** _Please_ ** **. Why ** ** _wouldn’t_ ** ** I use it as much as possible? And you know my ‘fifth limb’ belongs to you, darling.”**

**He smirked, then leaned over, giving her a look of loud sarcasm. **

**“You’ve never complained about my use of seidr before. Perhaps you’re the one feeling ‘overly dependent’ on another one of my skills...”**

"And what skill would that be?" she asked flippantly, popping another chocolate into her mouth. "I can't think of any..."

She tried to give off the air of deliberate nonchalance in her demeanour, just to annoy him, as she began to teasingly play with the rest of the buttons on her nightgown.

**Loki’s eyed her lecherously as a dirty smile spread across his lips. He sent a tendril of seidr curling up her leg, caressing her calf and winding itself around her thigh until it pressed between her legs through her panties. His smile widened at her reaction, which was to arch her back and gasp in surprise.**

**Really, she was just too ** ** _easy _ ** **to play with, sometimes...**

**“You haven’t gone a single day without my attentions since we reconciled after our honeymoon. Look at you - the sun goes down and you practically keen with desire. In fact...”**

**His magic pulled her toward him, dragging just her toes along the ground until she was up against his chest. “I doubt you can last a day without begging for an orgasm.”**

Her eyes narrowed at him as he challenged her, his magical spell teasing her already burning desire to a roaring flame. 

Norns, she hated that he was right. He had made her quite an addict to carnal pleasure. But she wasn't going to admit it to his face.

"Oh, and I bet you cannot last a single day without using your seidr, husband. I'm a lady first, so I can assure you that I can do well without the pleasures of flesh. I've spent centuries like that before I married you."

**Loki’s eyebrows raised with interest. “Oh...really?”**

**The seidr pushed aside her panties and opened her center, holding her comfortably still as her knees weakened from the phantom penetration. **

**“That’s a bargain I’m willing to make. But why stop at a day? How about a week? Or a month? Or more? Better yet...which of us will crack first, I wonder...”**

**Then he laughed as she let out a needy moan while he literally worked his magic on her. “Nevermind. It would be too easy.”**

"How about you stop using your seidr to manipulate my body?" she growled, trying to glare at him, but failing. The pleasure was too intense... "This is most unfair! Stop..."

**“That’s what I’ve been trying to do, sweetling.”**

**Suddenly, his seidr disappeared, leaving her completely untouched. The instruments in the room began working again, and he went back to taking notes.**

**“You’re on, by the way,” he muttered almost off-handedly. “Also, you don’t get to pleasure yourself during this challenge.”**

She huffed, stepping away from the table and tossing her hair back in frustration.

"Fine! Starting tomorrow, let's see who lasts longer. I bet you cannot even last an hour without your magical gift."

**“Fine,” he retorted, then with a grin, he sent a puff of air at her and lifted her gown as she departed.**

**She growled in irritation, but didn’t turn back.**

**“Starting tomorrow...”**

* * *

**The next morning was a bright and sunny day. Loki awoke when the sun shone on his face, and he sat up and stretched, feeling the life burn in his limbs.**

**He turned and looked at Iona, sleeping...well, ** ** _not _ ** **gracefully. One arm was thrown over her head, and her mouth was slightly open. Her hair tangled around her wildly, and the softest snore escaped her.**

** _My beautiful queen..._ ** **he chuckled softly as he got out of bed and headed to the washroom. He went to summon his hairbrush...but then remembered the bargain from last night. No magic until Iona was begging him for an orgasm. Hm.**

**Well, it was merely an inconvenience, at best. He opened the drawer (and realized how long it had been since he’d done so), pulled out his brush, and set to preparing himself for the day.**

Iona woke up to an empty bed, a fact that often upset her for no reason. Loki was a busy man, the king of Asgard and the Allfather, after all. He had to get up early. And well... try as she might, she was often not able to rise so early. His attentions in bed, even though they gave her intense pleasure, often left her exhausted. 

Sighing, she left the bed slowly, running her fingers through the tangles in her long hair. She wondered if Loki was keeping his side of the bargain. 

After all, she had no way to check on him when he was out of her sight. That thought gave her an idea...

What if she became an utter pest to him and didn't leave him alone the whole day?

That would ensure that he didn't use magic at all. Hmmm....

Quickly, she rushed to the bathroom to get ready for the day. And to chase her husband down so that she could keep an eye on him as he went about his kingly business.

**His hair wasn’t laying right. As many times as he ran that brush through it, there was still a lump or two where there shouldn’t be. Loki stared at his reflection, forced to watch his own frustration and ire build as his prized raven locks misbehaved. **

**The smoothing spell he used almost daily could take care of that. And what would the harm be? Just a quick ** ** _little_ ** ** use of seidr, and he would look ready for the day - he’d done everything else without it (and NORNS was it exhausting and time-consuming! Who knew actually ** ** _brushing _ ** **your teeth took so much effort?).**

**Just as he was about to draw it to his palm, the door burst open and Iona rushed though, eyes on him like a hawk.**

**He instantly stopped and spun around to greet her, smiling in his most charming, beguiling way.**

**“Good MORNING dearest! How did you sleep? Well, I hope?”**

Iona watched him sharply, eyes narrowed. His hand hand been cupped in that _ typical _way when she had entered the bathroom, just like he always did when using a spell. She had noticed that in their time spent together.

"You're not using _ magic _, are you, Loki?" she asked as she stepped up to him. "Don't try to throw me off with that charming smile. Keep it for those merchants."

**“Of course not, darling. That would end our little game. And I’m SO looking forward to watching you break in desperation LONG before I do anything magical.”**

**She gave him a huff and rolled her eyes. Impertinent, as always.**

**His charming smile turned darker, and he put his arm around her waist while watching her with a predatory gaze. “I don’t need magic to turn you into a quivering puddle of need...”**

Norns, he didn't play fair. That silken voice wrapped around her just the way his arm did, making it hard for her to focus on anything. 

"You're far too sure of yourself," she muttered, pushing him away as he chuckled. "We'll see about that."

She turned around and grasped a towel, thinking of ways to turn this challenge into something of a headache for him. 

"Oh, and letting that aside, I wanted to discuss something with you. Regarding that meeting with the merchants, and holding the court today."

He blinked and gave her a curious look as she turned back to face him, but kept silent, expecting her to continue.

"I want to accompany you to these meetings and attend the court," she stated cheerfully. "I want to be an active queen, so I must be a part of these activities.”

**“You...** ** _what_ ** **?” Loki’s stomach turned in knots for just a moment. It wasn’t an unprecedented or unreasonable request, but he knew why she was doing it. And she even had a reason to be involved; given what had happened with Lord Harald, she had a vested interest in seeing these negotiations proceed without further conspiracy against her.**

**But the thought of her watching him ALL DAY to make certain he kept to his word...oh NORNS she was an evil bitch sometimes...**

**Fine, she wanted to be around him every moment, he would ensure every moment was as uncomfortable as possible.**

**Not that he’d let her know that.**

Iona eyed him carefully as he deliberated on her decision. Feigning a pout, she sighed most unhappily. “You don’t want me to?”

**“Actually...upon further reflection, I think that’s a wonderful idea, sweetling. In fact, it will be nice to spend some extra time with you, and hear your thoughts on the arrangements. Having an extra set of ears on the conversation will aid in preventing those backstabbing merchants from pushing their agenda as fervently.”**

**He bent down, kissed her cheek chastely, then made to exit the washroom to get dressed, a warm and genuine smile gracing his features.**

**“Let’s have breakfast together so I can catch you up on my findings from last night. I’ll order the honey-bread and pastries you so enjoyed from our betrothal ceremony...”**

"Oh..." she blushed a bit as she remembered the betrothal feast. But she put that thought aside quickly. "That would be wonderful, husband. How thoughtful of you."

She smiled and batted her eyes at him as he exited the bathroom, making sure that she looked utterly innocent while doing it.

**Almost an hour later, Loki was still struggling to get his clothes on. How in the ** ** _Nine Realms_ ** ** were his garments supposed to go together?! It had been so long since he’d actually done it himself that he’d forgotten how the complex matrix of ties, buttons, and fasteners on all those layers of fabric worked. And he couldn’t bring himself to call the attendants...he’d not used them for centuries, and requesting them now might raise suspicion about his health or abilities.**

**Then again, showing up to court looking a mess wasn’t much better.**

**But the WORST part was having Iona sit primly at the table, eating the breakfast he’d ordered and drinking her tea with a self-satisfied smirk on her face. He threw a subversive glare at her before returning to his trial. It was ALMOST there, just one more button...or maybe two...**

"Need help?" she asked, watching him over the rim of her tea cup. Watching him struggle with something as basic as dressing himself was extremely entertaining to her. "I mean, you've been at it for about an hour and the breakfast is getting cold. Plus, I'm _ dying _to know about your findings. So..."

She put the cup down and rose from her chair, approaching him quickly. 

"Let me." She gave him a quick smile as she grasped his struggling hands. "I wear complicated clothes all the time, so I have a bit of experience in figuring out what goes where."

With that, she quickly got to work, smoothing her hands over the fabric of his tunic and undercoat, seeking the fasteners and plackets needed for his surcoat and then the spaulders.

**Loki gave up and raised his arms out of her way, allowing her to finish the task in mere seconds. The humiliation of it was almost unbearable...but then again, it did bring her within arms reach...**

**Once she finished, he pulled her close to him, pressing her body to his. “Thank you, darling. Allow me to show you my gratitude...”**

**Then he bent down and kissed her deeply, tasting the remnants of the honey-bread and tea on her lips. He dearly longed to relieve his frustration...**

She couldn't help but kiss him back. His lips were just so... _ alluring_. And he knew how to use them on her. 

"Mmm... husband, please," she mumbled between kisses, just barely able to speak against his dominant mouth. "B-Breakfast..."

A soft moan escaped her as he all but lifted her against him and cupped her bottom through her dress. Norns, resisting him was an arduous task...

And yet, in the back of her mind, she knew why he was being like this.. no, it wasn't a show of gratitude on his part, it was a move to weaken her resolve to not seek pleasure from him. 

With a groan, she landed a punch against his arm, her delicate gold vambrace clanging against the metal of his armour.

**The tiny clang was enough of a distraction for him to break their kiss and look at her salaciously. But she had a point - it was nearly time for the meeting, and she ought to know about the findings. His stomach growled softly - he also needed to have some breakfast.**

**For the next few minutes, he sat with her as they ate and went over his work from the previous night, explaining how the samples proved that the merchants had lied about the quality of the leyline. Once she confirmed she was comfortable with the information, they headed to the council room, arm in arm.**

**When they arrived, the merchants were already seated and waiting. A few surprised murmurs arose at the arrival of the queen.**

**“Gentlemen, her majesty will be joining us for today’s proceedings. We have much to discuss...” His voice went dark - almost threatening - when he said the last sentence and took his seat at the head of the table, Iona at his side.**

Iona was very glad about the fact that he had made her sit right next to him, like an equal, and not acted like the previous kings, who would've put her somewhere in the background--able to listen to everything, but not visible.

It had always annoyed her...

As the meeting went on, she learned a great many things about the mining procedures. Loki had already educated her about the different leyline ore qualities, and that really helped her in keeping up with the discourse. Loki's knowledge about these things was impressive, in-depth and very thorough.

That was one thing that she found extremely attractive about him. He was full of knowledge, and he knew how to use it.

But sharing the findings and discussing the intricacies of taxes and trade laws wasn't the only thing that was happening at the meeting. Iona noticed that her husband's hands were straying... constantly touching her under the table, either caressing her wrist or grasping her thigh. 

As the minutes passed, he only grew bolder, much to her surprise and chagrin. This wasn't the place for his little games, and it was extremely distracting for her!

**Loki thoroughly enjoyed both emasculating the merchants at their own game AND surreptitiously driving Iona mad with his touch. It turned out to be a very successful endeavor on both fronts - by the time the meeting ended, the merchants had signed the accords for use of the leyline with no concessions on his part (actually Iona had really helped with that, picking up on subtle inconsistencies in their arguments that even he had missed as he tried to negate their other claims), and Iona was shifting uncomfortably in her seat.**

**The day progressed with Iona at his side, constantly watching him. Each time she gave him a suspicious look, he would simply throw her a simmering, lusty gaze, and she would blush and look away.**

**But it was harder than he let on - there were SO MANY times when he would have normally called on his seidr to aid him in something inconsequential - reaching an item from across the room, pulling supplies from his inter-dimensional pocket, even just getting at an itch on his back! - that by the end of the day his nerves were frayed. EVERYTHING took so much longer and was so very inconvenient! He found himself longing to ease his struggle, just once...and then Iona would give him that smug look again and he’d steel himself.**

**The only thing stopping him from giving in was his pride. He wanted to win...** ** _badly_****.**

As the day came to an end, Iona could see that the ban on using his seidr was beginning to have its effects on Loki. He was looking visibly annoyed now, often acting overtly cranky towards everyone, even his mother.

She expected him to snap at her as well, but he didn’t. No… instead, he tried to appear more and more charming. And his teasing touches didn’t cease; they became more pronounced. That annoyed _ her _in turn.

By the time they were abed, she was ready to wave her dagger in his face again.

“Loki, stop touching me,” she muttered as he shifted under the covers to reach her. “The challenge is still on, after all.”

**“We never said I couldn’t touch you,” Loki said in as seductive a voice as he could manage, resting his hand on her waist and squeezing it softly. Teasing her all day had been a joy, and a welcome relief from the irritation of not using seidr...but it had come at a cost. He was positively ** ** _vibrating_ ** ** with need himself. “One day is plenty of time for this silly challenge, is it not? Congratulations, you didn’t beg for an orgasm even once...now allow me to reward you…”**

**The whole time, he was ** ** _praying_ ** ** in the back of his mind that she would just let him finish her off, so he could go back to doing things normally tomorrow. Such a ridiculous little tiff, but now the day was done and they could move on…**

**Which was why it ** ** _quite _ ** **perturbed him when she literally removed his hand from her hip and scooted further away from him.**

“No,” she stated firmly, then plucked two big pillows from her side and shoved them in the space between her and Loki. “I’m taking this challenge seriously. You’re only calling it silly because you’re on the verge of losing.”

She gave him a faux smile as she fluffed her wall of pillows and pulled the covers over herself.

**For a moment, Loki just held his breath and stared at her covered back...over the pillow fence she’d made between them. Did she...had she just...put a literal ** ** _barrier_ ** ** between them?**

**Oh, she really ** ** _was_ ** ** desperate. A slow smile crept across his lips.**

**“You know, you’re right. I ** ** _should_ ** ** be taking this more seriously, shouldn’t I? But I can’t possibly focus on ** ** _winning_ ** ** when I’m so taken with your charms...and your body...and the noises you make when I touch you…”**

**He slid his hand down the front of his loose fitted sleep pants. Pushing the waistband down his hips, he freed his erection and wrapped his fingers around it. Shuddering at the sensation of it, he began to pump himself slowly.**

**“Mmmm, just the ****_thought _****of putting my lips on your breasts, sucking on your nipples, pulling your naked body close to mine...Oooohh, Iona, you don’t know what the ** ** _feel_ ** ** of it does to me…”**

**He made sure to move a bit more roughly than usual, so she couldn’t mistake what he was doing on ** ** _his _ ** **side of the bed.**

Iona blinked as she heard the timbre of his voice change with those lewd words. That was accompanied by the rustling of fabric and movements on the mattress. 

She turned around to squint at him in the dark, and what she witnessed nearly made her resolve to resist him _crumble_.

He had pulled his manhood out and was _touching _himself… utterly _shamelessly_, while his eyes were staring right at her in challenge. _ Norns_, she wanted to kick him off the bed.

“What are you doing?” she gasped aloud, picking a pillow up to whack him with it. Instead of doing that, though, she clutched it tightly in her trembling hands. “This is not allowed, Loki!”

**“Isn’t it?” He breathed roughly as his voice caught just a bit, increasing his pace. “I’m not using any ****_magic_****, so I don’t see why...** ** _oh NORNS…_ ** **”**

**He squeezed his eyes shut and groaned as he felt that coil of pleasure building at the base of his spine. Well, he was especially talented in the bedroom, and no one could pleasure him better than ** ** _himself_****. Not to mention, how it was affecting ****_her_****...that in itself was a special, arousing satisfaction.**

**He swallowed thickly and smiled, slowing just a bit so he could continue their conversation simultaneously. Eyes opening again, he trained them back on her as he spoke...**

**“****_My _****pleasure was never a part of this bargain. ** ** _Yours _****is. I simply can’t use my ** ** _seidr_****, that’s all. You made sure of that when I tried to fix my hair this morning. Did you ** ** _see_ ** ** that lump? Lived with it all day...I’ll probably have to live with it tomorrow too…”**

Iona watched him with growing frustration and anger as he kept pleasuring himself, carrying on the conversation as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

Just the view of his long, deft fingers working on that engorged length of his was enough to send some delicious shivers down her spine...

She pressed the pillow to her chest to hide the fact that her nipples were painfully stiff - a dead giveaway of her aroused state. Why she was still looking at him, she didn’t know, but she couldn’t take her eyes off him. Her heated gaze was practically glued to his aroused flesh...

“You think yourself so smart, as if your little show would turn me around and make me surrender,” she mocked, narrowing her eyes as she realized he was getting closer and closer to his completion. “Go ahead, then, do what _ boys _do in their beds at night. You’re such a slave to the pleasures of sex, my king.”

**“I prefer the term ** ** _‘connoisseur’_ ** **,” he snarked as his breath became ragged with near completion again. He was quite close now, and he could feel his toes curling and his back arching without him meaning for them to.**

** _Very_ ** ** intentionally, he looked over at her, still peeking over the wall of pillows, his eyes hooded and full of near-overwhelming lust. He grinned, licked his lips, then closed his eyes and let himself release.**

**He throbbed into his hand, his seed gathering in his palm as a rush of relief and pleasure radiated through him. Moaning unabashedly at the feel of it, he sighed contentedly as he crested over into that warm, lovely post-orgasmic state. With a gentle shudder, he relaxed back into the mattress.**

**“Much better. Now I’ll certainly be more focused tomorrow.”**

**He turned and retrieved a handkerchief from his nightstand, cleaning his essence from his hand before turning back to face her one more time. Just to ruffle her feathers some more, he air-kissed in her direction with a wink, then rolling over, letting that warm feeling lead him into slumber.**

Iona grumbled unintelligibly and turned around. The image of Loki, lost in his orgasmic haze, was now imprinted in her mind. It was making her restless and putting the instinct to sleep at the end of her priority list.

Needless to say, while Loki settled into an easy slumber beside her, she found it difficult to achieve any kind of rest.

What little sleep she _ did _get through the night was broken by erotic dreams and a sense of emptiness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Test Sunday! With extra long chapter! _Can we get a wahoo?_


	23. Obstinacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Iona and Loki struggle with the challenge, but both are too stubborn to give in.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

By the time the sun broke across the horizon, Iona was ready to leave the bed in haste. In such a hurry she was that she was out of the bed even before Loki had begun to stir from his sleep.

Once she was beneath the warm spray of the shower, her muscles relaxed and she began to feel much better. But the carnal frustration remained…

Just as she was washing herself, a teasing thought slithered into her psyche and suggested to her that she relieve her frustration right here, in the shower. Loki was still asleep, after all… what he wouldn’t know, wouldn’t hurt him…

And so, with a wee bit of internal struggle over it, Iona gave in. Her hand strayed between her legs and caressed her needy clit…

A desperate moan rose up from her vocal cords, and she had to bite her lip to stifle it. She couldn’t stay quiet completely, but she tried. It was a good thing that her husband was still deep in slumber on their bed.

Breathing heavily under the sprinkling water, she leaned against the cool tiles of the shower and tried to give herself some sexual relief. Her fingers rubbed her clit frantically, almost to the point where it hurt… but she couldn’t reach completion. She kept repeating the movements that were once enough to give her an orgasm… still, it evaded her now.

After minutes of trying and failing, her poor clit was feeling too sensitive and raw and pleasure was nowhere to be found…

Hence, she gave up with a frustrated huff and went back to washing herself.

When she finally exited the shower, she was so busy trying to wrap her hair in a towel that she nearly missed the tall figure leaning against the bathroom door.

When she  _ did  _ notice him, she let out a yelp of surprise.

**Loki had never been a deep sleeper...so when she got out of bed, it roused him enough to wonder what she was doing, for wasn’t an early riser. Then, he heard the water running...and he figured she might try to help herself to the relief he had enjoyed the night before.**

**Of course, if she had an orgasm, that would break their bet. It would mean he would ** ** _win_ ** **...and he couldn’t very well have missed ** ** _that_ ** ** moment.**

**He left the bed silently and went to the bathroom door, leaning on the frame and listening to her. He heard the telltale moans and gasps she made when pleasured...and he grinned. As soon as she came, he would burst in, gloat, enjoy his victory, and then FINALLY magic that lump out of his hair!**

**But as he continued to wait for that now-familiar sound from her… her moans and whimpers became more and more frustrated, more desperate. And even after several minutes, she seemed no closer to achieving her goal.**

**A wicked smile crossed his face. He’d ** ** _ruined_ ** ** her - she couldn’t come without him! It took all his will power to keep from laughing out loud as she finally groaned angrily and gave up.**

**That look on her face when she saw him standing there was a memory he would cherish until his dying day.**

**“Good morning, sweetling,” Loki said almost too placidly. “Enjoy your shower?”**

For a few moments, she was sure that she looked absolutely stricken and guilty. She was too shocked to school her features.

Then, as she read the smirk on his face, she realized that the bastard had been listening in. There was no way for her to pretend that she didn’t just try to pleasure herself; so she just gave up on that charade.

“You know that I  _ did _ ,” she said in a simpering, acerbic manner as she pushed past him and headed for the dressing room. “Now stop pestering me.”

**“Oh, it sounded more like you were trying to get a stubborn stain out of one of your dresses, all that grunting and swearing...didn’t sound pleasant at all, actually. Really Iona, I sometimes think you ** ** _forget _ ** **that I’m the ** ** _God of Lies_ ** **…”**

**He followed her, intentionally just a step too close for comfort as she tried to prepare herself for the day.**

**“You know, I’d be MORE than happy to help you resolve your issue, if only you’d ** ** _ask_ ** ** me…”**

She growled in frustration and tried her best to ignore his annoying presence, even though he was literally breathing down her neck. 

Opening her wardrobe, she began to go through her dresses, pretending to decide which one to wear. It was a new batch, sent in by Willa just the previous week.

As she went on to admire each dress, she hoped that Loki would tire of irritating her and simply move on with his morning ablutions. 

When he didn’t, she grew even more annoyed.

“Loki, it’s not going to happen. Go away.”

**With one last snicker, he stepped away. “Oh, it’s ** ** _going _ ** **to happen…” he said before making his way to the bathroom again for his own shower.**

**He washed quickly, eager to catch Iona before she left for the day, and so he wandered back into their dressing room after only a few short minutes, hair wet and a towel around his waist. He gave Iona a flirty wink as he went into his closet.**

**He looked through the outfits one by one...deciding to skip certain pieces based on how complicated they would be to put on. Unfortunately, as he continued through his wardrobe, the only item he found that he could actually put on ** ** _by himself_ ** ** was a much-too-gaudy jacket that he didn’t think he had ever even ** ** _worn._ **

**With a sigh, he grabbed the outfit he wanted and brought it out to the bedroom. ** ** _NORNS_ ** ** he hated not being able to do magic…**

**“Um...Iona? Darling? Love of my life?”**

Iona was trying to comb through the tangles in her hair when Loki called her out into their bedroom. His words were too sugary sweet and full of affection. It could only mean one thing.

He wanted something from her.

“What is it, dearest husband?” she asked in the same tone that he had used, stepping into the bedroom, her comb still in her grip.

He was standing there in nothing but a small towel, resting precariously low on his hips. It was a mighty distraction, and so, she tried her best to keep her gaze away from his body.

**When she turned to face him, he gave her a guilty, pleading look as he held up the clothes, his request obvious.**

**“Could you, ehm...help me dress? I can’t seem to get the hang of it. I could call an attendant if you prefer, but I thought I’d ask you first.”**

**As much as it pained him to have such a ridiculous shortcoming, the only thing that would have hurt him more was if he ** ** _lost this stupid bet._ **

She eyed him suspiciously for a moment, wondering if this was some kind of a ploy to get her to touch his glorious form… so that she’d weaken and surrender to his sexual advances. 

One couldn’t put such treachery past him…

But then, as she kept observing him, she noted that he did appear to be a bit sheepish about his predicament. Given how bad he had been about dressing himself yesterday, there was every chance that he was  _ actually  _ struggling here.

“Hmm,” she muttered, throwing her comb onto the bed and approaching him. “At least wear your inners and pants, those aren’t complicated. I’ll take care of the rest.”

She tried to keep her amusement contained, but it still spilled over while he got dressed from the waist down. A little giggle escaped her, because she kept picturing him in his utter incompetence to dress himself… wondering what might’ve happened had she not been there to help him.

Would he have gone around bare-chested…?

He heard her giggle and gave her a pointed look of annoyance. That only made her giggle harder.

“I’m just thinking about the possibilities of you going bare-chested… you know, if I refused to help you.”

**For just a split second, he actually considered taking that challenge. He was nothing if not fairly addicted to causing an uproar, and for the ** ** _King of Asgard_ ** ** to be seen for a day without his ** ** _shirt_ ** **?! Perhaps it would have been expected of Thor, given his scandalous penchant for showing off his bare skin at any opportunity, but Loki was much more modest when it came to exposing himself...at least, in public...his own personal proclivities notwithstanding.**

**But what would it accomplish, other than to rile the court into wondering ** ** _why?_ ** ** And then there would be questions, and rumors, and drama...no, best to avoid all of it.**

**“If you refused to help me, I would simply call an attendant. Like a ** ** _normal _ ** **Allfather.”**

**He rolled his eyes as she handed him the undershirt and he slipped it over his head, tucking the bottom into his breeches.**

“ _ Normal? _ ” she asked with a snort as she picked up the under-jacket and helped him in putting it on. “Is there anything  _ normal  _ about you?”

She shook her head as her hands worked quickly, attaching the buttons of the jacket to his tunic, then reaching for the next piece of the clothing puzzle that was his wardrobe.

“I bet you made your wardrobe  _ so  _ complex out of smugness and overconfidence in your magic. A typical Loki Odinson move.”

**“I will neither confirm nor deny that assertion,” he chuckled as he tugged at the fabric to help it lay flat. “Besides, all the nicest outfits ** ** _are_ ** ** the most complicated. And I was never one to be outdone in the realm of gentlemanly fashion. So there you have it.”**

**He would never admit it to her, but he found he rather enjoyed having her help him dress. It was a chance for her to show off an expertise he himself did not possess (as he’d handicapped himself early on by using his magic for all things inconvenient or time-consuming)...and of course, having her in close proximity, with her hands flitting all over his body, was a ** ** _very _ ** **pleasant sensation.**

**“Almost done?” He asked, his voice nearly breaking as he tried to compose himself. **

“Y-Yes, almost,” she replied, pressing her palms to his chest after closing in the plackets of his over-jacket. All this touching and hovering about him had been a bit too much for her already frustrated body. 

She was feeling flustered now.

“Just need to add the vambraces and spaulders. You can manage the vambraces, I believe,” she said in a clipped tone as she fitted the spaulders over his shoulders and attached them to his over-jacket.

She tried to pull away from him quickly, then, and made to grab her comb. If he noticed her jumpiness, he didn’t mention it.

**As soon as she was done attaching the last pieces of his outfit, he noted that she was going to move away. To halt her in her tracks, he snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her in closely.**

**“Thank you, darling. I feel like a new man.”**

**He brought his forehead to hers and looked deep into her eyes, clearly seeing her desire there. If only he could persuade her…**

**“Might I give you a kiss, as a sign of my gratitude?”**

She grasped her comb tightly in her hands as he held her, knowing that this was most likely a trap. He knew the effect his lips had on her, after all.

Oh, but what a delicious trap it was…

“Only a kiss?” she asked, raising her eyebrow in doubt. “Nothing else? Don’t try to play dirty with me, Loki.”

**“Only a kiss, I promise. A simple, chaste kiss, and nothing more.”**

**He watched the conflict dance in her eyes, and it thrilled him. He loved seeing her battle with her own thoughts...it made his job ** ** _that _ ** **much easier.**

**“May I, ** ** _sweetling?”_ **

She gave him a hesitant nod, her eyes helplessly gravitating to his lips… his  _ soft, sensual _ lips.

“Alright…”

And then she closed her eyes and tilted her face up to receive the said  _ simple and chaste _ kiss.

**And that was all he did. The kiss was soft, gentle, and sweet, if not just a touch lingering.**

**Then, he pulled back and released her, squinting his eyes in a playful way, as if to say, ** ** _What? You really thought you couldn’t trust me?_ **

**“Thank you again, my queen. Now I believe we both have duties to attend to, but I’ll see you at the court dinner tonight.”**

**He strode to the door, and was just about to leave when he turned back to her.**

**“Oh, and Iona?”**

“Yes?” She turned towards him as he stood by the door. She hated the fact that she sounded a bit too eager for her own good.

_ Focus, Iona… and not on the wrong things. _

“What is it?”

**“I am ** ** _so looking forward _ ** **to the moment I can dive between your legs and devour your sweet cunt until you’re cumming like a vixen in heat,” he growled, staring her down with the most hungry, ** ** _predatory _ ** **look he could manage.**

**Then, he winked and left the room to go attend to his daily tasks, hoping that he had shocked her enough to be able to get away without her following him around like she had the day before.**

Iona gasped aloud at his prurient words, flushing red right up to her chest. So lost was she in that picture he had just painted, that she all but forgot about her aim to accompany him all day.

“Loki!” she cried out as she finally returned to her senses, rushing after him. “I am to go along with you! Did you forget that I need to attend court with you?”

**His shoulders slumped and he rolled his eyes. ** ** _Damn, _ ** **the woman was persistent…**

**But when he turned back to face her, his expression bore nothing but the brightest smile he could muster.**

**“You know, I almost had! Thank you for reminding me darling. I’m certain there will be ** ** _many_ ** ** opportunities for us to discuss matters pertaining to the success and well-being of the Nine Realms...though, perhaps you should change out of your robe first...”**

**He chuckled as she realized she had rushed out of their chambers wearing nothing but her silk bathrobe, hair still a tangled mess upon her head.**

**“You know, I could fix that in a jiffy if ** ** _only_ ** ** I could use my magic - it would take no time at all. Alas, I can’t, for obvious reasons.” He pretended to look sad as he spoke. “** ** _But_ ** **, I suppose I’ll just have to meet you in the throne room once you’ve finished dressing for the day. I’ll see you then - mustn’t keep the subjects waiting.”**

She grasped his forearm just as he was about to pull away from her again. She held onto him hard as she pressed her body into his, looking up at him with her deliberately widened doe-eyes.

“The court doesn’t assemble for another half-an-hour, my lord husband,” she said in a sultry, though hushed tone, minding the sentries nearby. “Are you sure you wouldn’t want to help  _ me  _ dress? Since you’re sad about not being able to help me with your famed magic, you can at least help me the regular way, hmm?”

**Loki kept that smile plastered on his face as she looked up at him, feeling his cock twitch at the obvious desperation in her eyes and voice. How much ** ** _longer_ ** ** would she keep this up?!**

**“I...well…”**

**Finally, he just sighed, relenting to the situation. “Of course, dear. I'd be happy to.”**

**With that, he let her drag him back to their chambers, where he was fairly certain he would be given the tedious task of combing out the ** ** _leagues _ ** **long hair of hers…**

**He hated even combing his ** ** _own_ ** ** hair the regular way...**

“Choose a dress for me, dear,” she said as she brought him back to the dressing room, a smug smile playing on her lips. “And after that, would you please untangle my hair? I could call in the attendants, but I’d prefer the touch of your nimble hands.”

She opened her wardrobe for his benefit, and then she took a deep, fortifying breath and opened the sash of her bathrobe, knowing full well that his eyes were on her.

“Oh don’t mind me, I’m just putting on my inners.”

**“You haven’t even chosen a dress yet? What were you doing the whole time I was in the shower—”**

**He stopped as the robe fell in a pile at her feet, and his eyes were glued to that perfect ass of hers. How long had it been since he’d last enjoyed the feel of her quim around him…?**

**A day. It had been just over one full day.**

**Loki grabbed the first dress his hand fell upon, barely looking at it, and brought it to her.**

**“You know, I really do think it would be best to get an attendant to comb your hair. In fact, I’ll go get—”**

**She was in his face the ** ** _minute_ ** ** he looked back at her, and she had the comb pressed into his hand. He had to force himself not to growl at her. ** ** _I’ll give her a few more minutes, just a few more…_ **

**It took nearly the ** ** _entire_ ** ** half hour to comb out her thigh-length locks, and by the time he was done, his nerves were frayed. How...in the NINE REALMS...did she manage all that hair?! Everyday?! ** ** _Without_ ** ** magic?! They were almost late for court, it took so long, but (Loki noted with some pride), her hair looked DAMN good when they arrived.**

**And he hoped he’d ** ** _never_ ** ** have to do that again.**

Iona was feeling pretty self-satisfied while she observed the court proceedings with her usual poise and grace. Brief glances at her husband told her that she had been very successful in her endeavour to annoy  _ and  _ arouse him.

He couldn’t pleasure himself here, or even for the rest of the day to take that carnal edge off.

Now, they were both at a level playing field, at least.

Every time Loki looked her way, she gave him an overtly sweet, warm smile. Only  _ he  _ knew that it was anything but sweet. It was a smile of cruel satisfaction.

She continued her little charade all through the day, watching his annoyance rising with each passing hour. Oh, it was fun to watch him yearn for his magic, and then  _ some more  _ whenever he looked like he was burning with arousal while surrounded by people…

**By the time dinner came around…** ** _ Loki. Was. Done._ **

**Two full days of Iona following him around like a school marm, being subjected to the most ** ** _tedious_ ** ** tasks, and not being able to use his seidr had taken its toll on him. His thoughts were jumbled, and he could only focus either on how inconvenient something was, or on how he wanted to bend Iona over and have his way with her.**

**But he was ** ** _not_ ** ** going to lose, not after all the aggravation and struggle he’d suffered at her hand.**

**He resolved to win this little battle and end it quickly. At dinner, which tonight was a larger gathering of nobles they had brought in to discuss the use of the forest lands on the outskirts of the Capital, he secretly passed a note to a page when Iona was distracted, requesting certain items to be brought to their chambers with the utmost discretion.**

**Then...his mood changed. Instantly, he began interacting with Iona on much more friendly terms, smiling and holding her hand and being ** ** _so very _ ** **affectionate. **

**The thought of his upcoming revenge had significantly improved his demeanor.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Test Thursday is here!   



	24. Victory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With his patience crumbling, Loki takes matters into his hands...  


**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

Throughout the dinner, Iona watched Loki with increasing suspicion as he acted all cheerful and hid his frustration really well. And while he  _ had  _ been doing his bit to fluster her with his risque touches, she still believed that she had maintained an upper hand in their little battle.... that she had a great chance of winning this challenge.

However, she could also see a telltale sharpness in his gaze whenever he looked over at her, something that betrayed the fact that he was up to something unsavoury. When she saw him surreptitiously pass a note to a page, she was almost certain that he was  _ specifically  _ planning something untoward for her.

So... she ate her dinner quickly, keeping an eye on him as he ate his, and tried her best to keep herself away from his reach.

"I'm done," she whispered to him once she was full, pushing her plate away. "I'll excuse myself and go and change for the night while you finish your meal."

She gave him a simpering smile as she rose from her chair and announced her early retirement to bed, citing a headache. Then, she skipped over to their chambers, in hopes to avoid whatever revengeful act he had planned.

She was planning to change her clothes quickly, and then escape through the little used passage between their bedroom and her official queen's chambers. 

He wasn't going to catch her in their bed. That'd make it too easy for him to manipulate her into submission, if that was what he was thinking of doing.

**Loki raised an eyebrow as she passed him, and heard her footsteps accelerate down the hall. He grinned. She wasn’t getting away THAT easily.**

**There was no tact here...without his magic, he needed to get up and ** ** _move_ ** **. He rushed out of his chair with just a brief “excuse me,” then took off down the hallway, chasing after his wife, leaving the nobles scratching their heads.**

**He missed her in the bedroom, but he was able to grab a length of rope from next to the bed - one of the items he had requested - before continuing his pursuit.**

Iona dashed through the passage and entered her chambers. Closing the doors behind her, she hurried through the different rooms therein to exit through the main door, entering the main hall of their palace wing. 

Now, she just needed to escape this wing to escape him. Once she was out, he'd have a great difficulty in finding her. The palace grounds were HUGE, and without his magic, he was going to find it nigh impossible to locate her.

**“Going somewhere?”**

**Loki leaned against the column in the main hall as she came rushing through. He held the rope loosely in his fingers, letting it swing threateningly as he blocked her path.**

**“Is everything alright, darling? You left in quite a hurry...rather rude of you to leave me alone at our dining table.” He chuckled darkly. “You’re better trained than that, aren’t you, Iona? ‘As a lady’? You do so love to remind me of ** ** _that_ ** **.”**

Iona backed away from him slowly, her eyes gravitating to the rope that he was swinging back and forth from his hand. What was the purpose of that thing? Was he seriously thinking of...  _ tying her up? _

"I... I actually had an urgent need," she mumbled, trying to maintain the distance between them. "I needed to go... umm... to see the healers."

**Loki began to close the distance, pulling the rope between his hands. “That’s interesting. I have an ** ** _urgent_ ** ** need as well. Mayhaps we can help each other with that...”**

**He moved slowly, pather-like, eyes boring into her with feral heat. **

**“It has been a challenging two days, Iona. Allow me to relieve your stress...”**

"This is unfair, Loki," she cried, quickly hiding behind a pillar. "This goes against the challenge! You can't just... catch me like an animal and tie me with that rope!"

She looked around for any possible exits for herself. The only one seemed to be her chambers. She would get in and lock herself in there. He would literally have to break the doors down to get to her.

She was pretty certain he wouldn't do that... 

No, he wouldn't!

Hence, with that thought in mind, she let go of the pillar and ran back towards her chambers, hoping to evade him.

**He bolted, long legs carrying him quickly in her direction. She ** ** _almost_ ** ** made it back to her chambers, but before she could walk through the threshold, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back down the corridor towards their bedroom.**

**Her kicking and screaming only served to arouse him further.**

**“It does not go against the challenge - I haven’t used an ounce of seidr this entire time, and I’ll continue to hold to that. Tying you up requires no magic...nor does anything else I plan to do to you tonight.”**

"No!" She dug her nails into his arm as he carried her back into their bedroom. "I'm not coming! You can't force me to come! Let me go, you brute!"

She fought him throughout the little journey to their bed, and then she tried her best to hop off it. It was reminding her of that evening back at Lake Ulfr, when he had caught her and spanked her ass red.

"Loki, stop it! The challenge doesn't go like this..." She nearly fell off the bed in her attempt to evade him.

**He pulled her back easily, dragging her to the center of the bed. With a practiced speed and surety, he bound her struggling hands together and looped them up over the headboard.**

**Her legs were harder - Norns, she was stronger than she looked! But he eventually got her ankles tied, then bent her in half and secured them to her wrists. When he’d finished, he stepped back to observe his good work. It would do.**

**“Just relax, dear. I won’t force you to come and make you break your word. I ** ** _promise_ ** ** \- no orgasms until you’re begging for one.”**

**He brought the container he had requested closer to the bed, then began to undress himself slowly, manually, eyes locked on his beautiful, bound queen.**

**With all the buttons, clasps, toggles, and other fasteners he had been fighting with for the last two days...it took a ** ** _very_ ** ** long time. But at least he knew where they were now.**

Iona wasn't affected by that slow strip. Not at all...

She watched him with apprehension, her eyes wide as she struggled against her bindings. The rope was very tough. She couldn't snap through it.

"But... wasn't I supposed to beg you on my own? Without you touching me?" she asked, letting out a whimper of frustration as her body tried to get into a comfortable position. There was no comfort in being bound like this...

He didn't answer immediately, much to her annoyance. No... he was just focused on taking off all his clothes. 

**“You don’t want that. And no, that was never part of our agreement. My goodness, I have to admire your tenacity in trying to accuse me of breaking the rules. But poor, sweet girl. You never stood a chance.”**

**Finally, with a huff of satisfaction, he stood before her in all his natural glory. Then he reached into the box and brought out a pair of tailor’s shears - the ones he had used as Maarika.**

**“Your turn.”**

**He began to cut off her clothing, piece by piece, careful not to nick her with the sharp scissors.**

"I caught you several times, almost about to use your magic," she complained, though she lay still as he cut her clothes off, not wanting to be stabbed by those sharp scissors. "I was fond of this dress.... ughhh."

She was indeed trying to resist him still, though it was quite obviously futile. What more, her body seemed to be agreeing with him, for it was primed for his touch. She was already wet between her legs.

Norns, how had he turned her into this... this desperate, wanton woman?

**The process took much longer than he had patience for. Bit by bit, the fabric fell off her in strips. He made sure to run his hands along her bare skin as he went, reveling in the feel of her shivering at his touch, the goosebumps blossoming, the little moans and squeals she made...**

**His eager cock stood to attention as he worked.**

** _Remember the plan... _ ** **he told it, knowing he couldn’t hide his arousal. But he could certainly control where it went, and when.**

**Then, just for good measure, once she was as naked as himself, he walked up toward the head of the bed and stood next to Iona, that long, hard column of flesh she loved so much within eyesight.**

**“Oh look. He’s missed you...” Loki said with a smirk.**

Iona stared at his manhood as it twitched and bobbed up and down, like a beast possessed. Honestly, the girth and the size of it still baffled her.

"It saw me just two days ago," she replied sarcastically, even though she was licking her lips at the sight that was being presented to her.

**“And yet..” he chuckled, watching her reaction with no small amount of satisfaction.**

**He bent over her and began rubbing his fingers along her exposed, slick center, gently toying with her, taking everything as slowly as possible now that he had her where he wanted her.**

**“So, sweetling. We find ourselves at an impasse. I have very much disliked not using my seidr, and while I appreciate that this challenge has given me a new understanding that I’ve been — oh, how did you say it? I was ‘overly dependent’? You may have been somewhat right about that...”**

**He dipped his fingers into her, just a shallow penetration while he continued to lather his digits in her increasingly swollen pussy.**

**“But...if I use said seidr, well...then I LOSE. And I do so hate losing. So what am I to do, Iona?”**

She gasped and shuddered as he played with her, taking advantage of her completely incapacitated state. For even though her struggles to free herself renewed, all she could do was wriggle in place. 

He was ruthless, and he knew how to use those damned fingers to make her miserable with need. 

"Well, at least you appreciated my perspect-- _ Oh!!! _ " She cried out mid-sentence as he lightly slapped her clit, making it throb. "Loki! Stop it!"

She glared at him, or tried to, her frustration almost reaching its breaking point.

**“It’s ** ** _painfully_ ** ** obvious you don’t want me to stop.” He could read her body like one of the many books in his library, and she was just starting to ramp up.**

**He pushed his fingers into her silken folds, exploring her insides, with the pads pressing against her walls. So familiar, and at the same time, still enticingly novel.**

**“But alas, I cannot bring myself to use even a bit of magic unless we’ve resolved our bargain. I’m nothing if not a man of my word—”**

**He stopped, realizing what he’d just said, then laughed a bit at himself. “At least, in this particular arrangement.”**

**His thumb began to circle her clit, pushing through the glistening dark curls where it hid from sight. Not that he needed to see it - watching her face gave him all the navigation he needed.**

**“You’ve been so diligent in watching me and making certain I’ve kept my promise so far, so allow me to return the favor.”**

"I wouldn't beg if you... if you wouldn't touch me like this!" she ground out, shaking from head to toe now, gripping the ropes that bound her and exposed her to his salacious attentions. 

It was a lie... she had almost been ready to beg him to take her in their bed last night. Well, at least, before he annoyed her with his smart mouth and his distracting display of debauchery.

"Just... what do you want?" she finally asked, moaning as he gave her featherlight touches on her sensitive flesh. "Stop drawing this out..."

**“I want to ** ** _WIN_ ** **,” he said, almost angrily though there was still a laugh in his words. “And to do that, you need to LOSE. But I promise, darling, it will be the most wonderful loss of your life...”**

**He pumped her, fast and firm, his fingertips dragging along all her favorite spots in her tight channel. He felt her buck and moan and stiffen, and right before she went over the edge, he pulled out of her, leaving her desperate pussy grasping at empty air.**

**“Oh oh oh...not yet. We’re in no hurry. If you want this to end, all you have to do is say ‘please, Loki, make me come.’”**

**He locked eyes with her, waiting for her response.**

"You bastard..." she blurted out in her frustration, breathing heavily now. "I'm going to stab you with your own dagger one of these days!"

That made him laugh in response.

Hot tears began to stream down her eyes as he kept her on the precipice of release, touching her just enough to keep her fire stoked.

Norns, this was like the throne room all over again...

She knew that he was going to break her... but she still fought the pleasure, not wanting to give in so easily.

**Her resistance only served to harden him further. A very dark smile crossed his lips before he left her line of sight.**

**“Oh good. I was hoping you’d say that.”**

**He climbed up on the bed, settling his face next to her dripping sex, and took one long, languorous lick from bottom to top, ending at her swollen clit. He let his tongue and lips dance on her vulva, sucking and nipping at the pink flesh and lapping up her essence like he was feeding on honey seeping out of a honeycomb.**

**When she was shaking with need again, he peeked around so she could see his bright green eyes dancing with mischief, then he dove on her, eating her out as though he were starving.**

**He listened carefully as her moans and shrieks got higher and more urgent, until she was ** ** _juuuust _ ** **about there...**

**He stopped.**

**Sitting back, he looked at her again with a bemused grin, lips still glistening with the juices from her sex.**

**“I know this must be so hard for you, dear. You can end it so easily, you know...”**

**Deep down, he fairly PRAYED she would hold out on him - he knew she could take it, he KNEW it...the question was, did she?**

"You can jump right into Muspelheim!" she cried, narrowing her eyes at him through the tears. "I'm not begging!"

Norns, if he untied her just now, she'd probably slap him a hundred times. And then push him onto his back and take him like a huldra. Again and again, till he lost consciousness. She'd probably keep going even after that...

She was simply THAT frustrated now.

**“That’s my girl...” he fairly snarled at her, touching her again with his fingers and enjoying her bucking and fighting. Watching her cry and pull against the restraints, while her endearing willpower kept her from giving him what he wanted, was utterly entrancing. He thought back to the throne room, back to before he had learned so much about her.**

**He never wanted to extinguish her fire like he had that night, never wanted her to stop pushing him...he wanted to strengthen her, play with her, revel in the tension that built between them when he demanded so much from her body but her mind stayed as stubborn as always.**

**Then, when she did break, he would have felt like he’d earned it. Like he’d ** ** _earned _ ** **her, instead of just ** ** _owned _ ** **her.**

**So he aligned his thick cock with her entrance, holding her hips still while his tip breached her. But he didn’t push in all the way. Not yet.**

**“How about now?”**

She shivered, tossing her head this way and that. That feeling... that sensation of feeling him slide into her slick channel... there was nothing she could compare it with, nothing that came close to that pleasure...

And still, she wasn't willing to give him what he wanted. He didn't like to lose... but she loved to win. They were at an impasse. And this challenge was twisting her mind because of that.

"Loki..." she groaned, clenching around him, wanting to pull more of his hard length into her slick heat. "Let go of the challenge now... don't be silly."

She looked up at him with wide, lust-filled eyes, giving him the impression that she was pleading. 

Without actually pleading…

**“I am ** ** _never_ ** ** silly, Iona,” he said with a merciless minuscule thrust, pushing just another inch inside of her and feeling his throat close at the pleasure of her heat. Her face flushed red, and her channel clenched and pulled at him, begging with everything but words.**

**But it was the words he wanted. At this point, the words he ** ** _needed_ ** ** to hear.**

**There were several other items in the box he could have used to edge her on even further - a blindfold, a feather, a leather strap...but as his cock slowly buried itself deeper inside her, he decided to use nothing other than his own flesh to bring her resistance crumbling down.**

**His hand dipped between them and he toyed with her clitoris, taking a shuddering breath as he encased more of his manhood within her. She was panting and sweating and groaning...Norns she was beautiful like this!**

**“Be reasonable...we both want this. And you’re the only one who can make it happen. So just say it...just one little ‘please’ and the prize is yours...”**

**Sweet Valhalla, he hoped he could hold out as long as her...**

"Loki...." she sobbed again as he rubbed her already tortured clit. 

Her body tried to move, to make him take her deeply, but he pulled away immediately, almost pulling out of her. 

Then, her mind stilled, still caught on the edge of pleasure. Her eyes fluttered and she groaned in a defeated tone.

"Please..." It came out as a soft whimper. "Please, Loki... let me come."

She knew that he would be ecstatic, reveling in his victory over her. And he'd be too distracted to see what was coming...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Test Sunday! Here it is! Now, let us patiently wait for Thursday. :P  



	25. Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Certain actions have consequences. In other words, Loki learns something new about his wife.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

**“Of course, darling...” he said with almost as much relief as her. Finally - ** ** _finally_ ** **! - they could end this and he could use his magic again! He called on the seidr he’d so desperately longed to use throughout the day, feeling it flow through him like a torrent of water down his parched throat. It was almost as overwhelming as the pleasure.**

**With a shimmering burst of gold, the ropes that held Iona captive loosened and untied themselves, releasing her from her bondage. As she unfolded around his waist, he pushed himself inside her, changing positions and caging her body with his. He thrust into her like an animal in heat, nearly as crazy with lust as his screaming wife.**

The burst of pleasure nearly made Iona lose her mind. She came almost instantaneously as he began to thrust inside her with vigour, her legs wrapping around his waist as tightly as a coiling snake. 

Her cries resounded in the room, echoing off the high walls. He kept moving throughout it, not allowing her to enter into the state of afterglow. It was obvious that he wanted to keep her on a sexual high. She surrendered to it all willingly now, letting herself loose and enjoying every moment of it.

In the back of her mind, she waited for him to reach completion, to lose himself inside her... 

"Loki..." Gripping his hair tightly, she looked into his lust-crazed eyes, biting her lip in anticipation. "Come inside me...  _ now _ . Please, husband... I  _ crave  _ it."

**“Oh NORNS!”**

**Hearing her beg affected him ** ** _so _ ** **strongly. It was almost as though he had no choice in the matter… he ** ** _had _ ** **to give her what she wanted.**

**Before he could even answer, he felt that coil of pleasure burst at the base of his spine, and he went rigid, breath held, while his seed pumped into the beautiful woman he’d teased mercilessly just to hear those equally beautiful words.**

**He groaned and closed his eyes as he rode it out, gripping her hips and holding on for dear life.**

Just as he lost himself to the peak of pleasure, Iona used all of her strength to turn them both around so that he landed on his back.

He opened his eyes and gazed at her in confusion. His eyes were dilated and glassy, as if caught floating on a cloud. She used that confused state of his to her advantage, working quickly to tie his hands with the same ropes he had used on her. 

He was now tied securely to the carved head of the bed.

"You've made me beg enough, husband, now you have to pay for teasing me so cruelly," she muttered, pushing her hands down his chest as she began to move atop him, not waiting for him to recover. She wanted to keep him in this helpless state, where the pleasure was so intense that it was almost painful.

**Due to his delirious state - and his complete underestimation of Iona’s physical strength and speed - Loki didn’t make a move to stop her until it was too late. His head swam in the afterglow of his release, still trying to piece itself together...**

**“What in...Iona, what have you— OH!” he cried out as she began to move on top of him, and he tugged at the restraints before he even realized they were on him. Panting and groaning, he felt his cock begin to swell again as she rode him, unable to relax from his orgasm. He twisted and squirmed, but it was no good… ** ** _how had she done it?!_ **

**He thought to just untie the ropes with seidr, as he’d done before, but with her squeezing and moving around his manhood, he couldn’t bring his thoughts together enough to summon the proper spell.**

**And as the pleasure burned from where they joined, their fluids lubricating and warming the area to a point where it was maddening, a near panic overtook him. He had no control...**

**His green eyes, so often full of confidence and sarcastic mirth, now watched Iona with a latent fear at his predicament.**

"Do you want to say something, husband?" she asked sweetly, so very contradictory to what she was doing to him.

Her hand grasped the dark, velvety box he placed on the bed not long ago, curious about its contents. While he gasped and stared at her with lost, desperate eyes, she managed to open the box and peruse its contents.

“What all do we have here? Were you planning to use any of this on me?” she asked, keeping her tone sweet and innocent as she pulled out a black silken cloth from the box. “I’m sad you didn’t… but I shall remedy your folly by using them on  _ you  _ now.”

His eyes widened momentarily, and his mouth parted, as if meaning to say something. She didn’t give him the time, blindfolding him with the same deftness as she had tied his hands.

“There you go…” She squeezed him with her channel as she spoke, enjoying the little growl that left his throat at the sensation. “Easy there… just let go, husband. Give yourself to me.”

She realized then, that this was, in fact, more of a  _ victory  _ for her than winning the bet, for she was very deliberately using her body and her carnal charms on him, something that she had learned from  _ him  _ only. 

**“Ohhhh you evil bitch...” he groaned, then laughed, writhed beneath her and whimpered. He was approaching his climax again, far too soon, and his scrotum tightened almost painfully as his body prepared for a second release.**

**It wasn’t just her hot, tight channel driving him toward insanity - ** ** _everything _ ** **she was doing was pushing him to the brink: her hands on his chest, her nails scraping his skin, the blindfold, her words (** ** _oh NORNS her words!_ ** **)...**

Her aim was to keep him in this state, where he was too inundated with pleasure to even think straight. If he couldn't think, he couldn't summon his magic to untie himself. 

"Mmm.... " she moaned, scratching his chest with her nails, making sure to roughly pluck at his nipples as she did so. "I'm sorry.... but we can't be done yet. I need more from you... please Loki…  _ please Daddy _ ... look, I'm begging. Isn't this what you wanted?"

**“Fuck fuck fuck...” he repeated as he now desperately tried to draw enough pleasure from her to bring about his completion, but he couldn’t move - not nearly enough to take it himself...he grunted, his eyebrows peaking in wild need…**

**Oh, it was the most wonderful agony to have her torture him like this!**

She leaned over him and took his lips in a slow, sensual kiss, dipping her tongue into his mouth with the same rhythm that she took his manhood with.

His pleasure grew slowly, she could feel it inside her, and when he emptied himself in her waiting channel, she still kept clenching around him, deliberate and demanding. She kept him inside her like that... clutching him with her inner muscles till she could feel him growing hard all over again.

"Ohh... you're so sweet, Daddy, giving me what I want, again and again," she spoke against his lips, which were parted in pleasure. "You're so good to me. My darling husband... ohhh... yes... I can feel you growing hard again. Thank you so much...mmmm..."

She kept murmuring these soft words of praise to him while she began to move again, bouncing on his hips as she took him deep inside her; sometimes holding him there for a while. Even the slight pain of it was delicious...

**Words were beyond him now. After the second orgasm, he was pliant, desperate...** ** _submissive_ ** **. He remembered the council chambers, when she had drawn the dagger on him, that yearning to comply and accommodate...it was heady and frightening and ** ** _incredible_ ** **. She had handled him like an iron fist in a velvet glove. She was doing it again now...**

**His darling wife drew groans and whimpers from his lips like pouring water from a chalice, and he let her; ** ** _wanted_ ** ** to let her, HAD to let her.**

**And through these moments of surrender, just the whisper of a thought floated through his mind before disintegrating: ** ** _who was training whom now?_ **

**Suddenly, it didn’t matter, as the pleasure began to percolate again and he felt her pick up the pace, drawing what she wanted from him without giving him a choice. She played with him like a literal toy, smacking him on his thighs with the leather strap from the box, teasing him with the tickling touch of the feather he had left on the wayside...using everything she had to drive him to madness.**

**He tugged on the restraints weakly as tears rolled from the corners of his eyes, all soaked up by the blindfold.. He desperately tried to reach completion once again, the pain and the pleasure of it swirling inside him.**

Iona rode him roughly as her own pleasure mounted again, making her shudder all over as she moaned. The tools-of-teasing dropped from her hands, then, as the mindless need for sexual satisfaction rose again.

"Yes... Norns, yes!" she cried, nearly falling over him while her slick channel gripped him tightly. Their combined fluids flowed down his thighs, making a mess on the bed. Oh, but she was beyond caring about that...

"Come for me again, husband... mark me with your essence," she panted, looking at him possessively as he groaned. "Is it hurting?"

Yanking the blindfold off him, she cupped his cheek as he looked up at her, struggling against the bonds so very weakly.

**“I...I-I’m TRYING!” he cried out as he moved with every inch of the limited mobility he had. The way she held him and touched him almost made him want to sob - what the Hel had she done to him?! **

**He swallowed thickly as her amber eyes bored into him, the beautiful glow of perspiration just barely glistening on her forehead.**

**He begged with his tear-filled eyes, his quivering lips, his spasming body. He begged with his soul and his heart and everything in his being that she let him finish, let him rest, let him fall away in the sweet pleasure that completion promised.**

**But he never begged her with words. At least ** ** _that_ ** **, still, was within his control. He’d only ever done it once, in his female form...and ** ** _she’d _ ** **been the one to pull it from him. But never like this...never while male...**

**With a pained moan, he nodded in response to her question, but he would have given anything to stay in this agonizing bliss with her, his body trembling and jolting within her tight grip.**

"Oh, I'm so sorry that you hurt," she said softly, kissing him again, swallowing his pained moans into her mouth. 

Her hands roamed his chest once again, almost reverently, for he was beautiful... like carved marble. But his beauty didn't stop her from tormenting him and taking her revenge upon him.

And so her fingers pinched his nipples, her hips undulated over his, her sex pulled and clutched his manhood, and her lips sucked on his skin, creating a multitude of sensations that had him trembling.

"Please, Loki... come now. I know that it hurts, but I need you. You're being so good, husband..." she egged him on, enjoying the way her words made him groan. 

Rising up again, she reached behind and gave his sack a slow squeeze, wondering how he might react to that. Would this finally make him come apart?

**Every thrust and grunt and moan strained him as he tried desperately to give her what she wanted. He was out of breath, doing his best to keep up the pace, feeling his will slipping and fearing he might not be able to find that sweet relief he so urgently needed...**

**Then, her fingers brushed his scrotum, and everything fell apart.**

**With a scream, his poor manhood stiffened and exploded for the third time, and he felt like his soul was escaping his body. He had no control over the volume of his voice, though he could barely hear his own cries over the blood rushing through his ears as the waves of pleasure shot through him like lightning.**

**The one thought he had through it all was that he had done it. He had given his wife what she had demanded of him, done as she’d told him to do. He wanted to make her happy...** ** _had_ ** ** to make her happy...**

**His mind slowed, his lungs burned, his eyes closed as he panted and moaned and slowly began to fall from his peak, finally being allowed to soften within Iona’s body.**

Iona moaned as he released inside her once again, triggering another orgasm within her. She arched her back and held him fast with her thighs, enjoying the sweet sensation of both her orgasm and his utter submission to her.

When she finally collapsed against his chest, she kissed and sucked on his neck slowly, enjoying the afterglow. 

And just to mess with him, she whispered in his ear the very thing he probably didn't want to hear. "Can you give me more?"

**His throat closed. ** ** _MORE_ ** **?!**

**His mouth opened and closed as he tried to speak, unable to get his brain to function. He knew he couldn’t go again, but he couldn’t let her down. He had to give her what she wanted...**

**What. The HEL. Had she done to him?!**

**“I....I-I...want to but...I… please.”**

**Tears streamed down his cheeks again. After ALL that, it still wasn’t enough?! How?!**

She almost giggled at his incoherent mumbling. Oh, this was a truly prized moment for her. How the tables had turned. 

"Shhh..." She caressed his cheek and kissed him softly on his now dry lips. "I was merely jesting."

She squeezed his now softening manhood one last time, smiling as he trembled in response. Then, she slowly let him slip out of her.

"Rest now, my good husband. And remember... challenges can have consequences." With that, she untied his hands, letting the rope slide away from the bed.

She pulled away and proceeded to clean the mess of their fluids from the bed as best as she could. It took all of her bedside napkins.

Then, she snuggled up to him and pulled the covers over both of them. He was already asleep by then, much to her amusement.

**He didn’t remember falling asleep.**

**When he awoke the next morning, all he could think about was how Iona had made him feel - desperate, unhinged, writhing in agonizing submission...then the absolute euphoria of having been pushed further than he’d ever been pushed, being ** ** _more_ ** ** than spent by her body.**

**He still had the marks on his wrists from the ropes. And, he noticed, so did she.**

**He watched her as she slept, again ** ** _not _ ** **gracefully: one arm thrown over her head, hair wild and tangled about her, lips parted, snoring softly.**

**But he had never found her more beautiful than he did that morning, after she’d let out the beast that lived inside her, the one that lurked behind her prim facade and centuries of training ‘as a lady.’**

**And...he took a strange comfort in knowing he wasn’t the only one that kept a monster in hiding.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TEST THURSDAY FTW!


	26. Jólnir

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Jule time in the IWATY universe; a really thrilling time for our royal couple. 
> 
> **[It's MONSTER CHAPTER time!]**

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

**As the ceremonial Jule skiff approached the traditional celebration grounds on Midgard, Loki looked down on the planet he had tried to conquer just a few years ago...**

**Now, technically, it ** ** _was_ ** ** his...though he felt no particular affinity for it. But...this was where the worshippers - ahem, ** ** _humans_ ** ** \- were, and they had prayed to him and his ancestors for millennia. One couldn’t just ignore a realm like that...not to mention it was ** ** _Thor’s_ ** ** favorite.**

**The ship hummed with the polite conversations of the special envoy that had been selected for this coveted journey - only the most distinguished Asgardian nobility were invited to attend the annual Midgardian Jule celebration. And this year was especially important - Frigga would officially pass the title of Allmother to Iona on the first night of the 12-day celebration - The Mothernight.**

**And it would be ** ** _his_ ** ** first Jule as Jólnir, after Odin’s passing...**

**With another sigh, he heard the announcement that they were making their final approach...and he saw Thor and his band of heroic friends waiting for them in the landing zone.**

**Norns this couldn’t end soon enough...**

Iona had been held captive by her parents ever since the enormous royal skiff had moved along Midgard's trajectory and entered its orbit. She was  _ still _ with them, being subjected to their endless questions, as usual, and their entitlement to her answers was all the same as it had been  _ before _ she had been married. 

_ Are you behaving yourself? _

_ Is the king tolerable?  _

_ You were married months ago, why aren't you with child yet? _

_ Do you understand that producing an heir is your most important job? _

_ Why do you speak so freely with him? _

The questions were annoying her to no end. Of course, she simpered and didn't give any direct answers, much to her parents' chagrin.

As soon as the skiff came close to its docking point, Iona realized that this was an opportunity for escape, for she was supposed to be with Loki when the gates opened. Hence, she quickly left the company of her parents and came to stand next to her husband. 

The Queen Mother stood a few steps behind her and Loki, essentially creating a divide between them and the Asgardian nobility, a benign smile on her face as she looked at Iona. Iona gave her a small smile in return.

Iona noticed that Loki seemed a bit stiff. Perhaps, coming to Midgard after his last stint there had landed him in the dungeons was weighing on his mind.

"Are you tense?" she whispered to him as all the Asgardians slowly arranged themselves in proper formations - as per their station and order of nobility. 

**He kept his eyes forward, as was expected, but he replied softly, “Is a Jotun’s cock blue?” And he smirked, of course, knowing his mother and wife had to maintain their composure as well.**

Iona let out a soft gasp at his utter lack of decency, even at a grand event like the Jule. “Control your silvertongue, husband. You’re not merely the God of Mischief now. You’re the  _ Jólnir _ . Act the part and be civil.”

She only received a chuckle in response.

**With a soft thud, the ship landed, and the gangway lowered to the frozen ground. The decorations and festivities were gorgeous - lights magically suspended in the air, casting a soft, warm glow on the venue; long tables stretched for hundreds of feet, covered in food and drink and all sorts of holiday treats; the servants all stopped in their tracks and turned to bow to the royal entourage. And right at the bottom of the walkway was Thor, smiling brightly.**

**“Brother!” he bellowed, approaching him with open arms. “Happy Juletide, ** ** _Jólnir!_ ** **” He hugged him - too hard, as always - then stepped back and turned to Iona.**

**“Sister, you look beautiful,” he said, taking her hand delicately and kissing it. “I cannot believe I haven’t seen you since the wedding! You are a vision - a perfect vision of the next Allmother.” **

**His sunny, bright smile was warm and friendly, so unlike Loki...**

Iona blushed under such attention and praise from Thor. Of course, she had expected nothing less from him, having known him since her childhood. 

At one point, she had actively sought Thor's attention in her attempts to fulfill her parents' sky-high aspirations of her--of being the queen, of course. Now, that memory made her cringe.

"Thor, such a pleasure to see you again," she said, returning his smile with her own. "How is life treating you on Midgard? Could we hope for a second royal wedding soon?"

Now it was Thor's turn to have his face a bit pink, which seemed to amuse Loki, for he chuckled. Thor may have given her a little nod, but he didn't elaborate on it. Instead, he chose to rush towards the Queen Mother to greet her.

While Thor was busy catching up with Frigga, his friends, who seemed to be fixedly gazing at Loki like he was some kind of curiosity, came forward and stood before them stiffly. 

"Man, this is really happening," the short, bearded one muttered, eyeing Loki from head to toe. "I can't believe I'm  _ welcoming _ Reindeer Games to Earth."

Iona turned her gaze upon her husband, confused by the Midgardian's words.

**“It’s a...term of endearment, sweetling,” he muttered, rolling his eyes covertly as they approached the contingent of the self-proclaimed ** ** _Earth’s Mightiest Heroes_ ** **. “Mr. Stark,” he said, overly formal. “Thank you for joining us. I hope all is well with you and your...” Loki waved his hand in the air, searching for the right word - there were so many he would like to use, but none of them were appropriate or civil. “** ** _Team_ ** **.” He finally decided.**

**Stark seemed a bit shocked by his air of formality. “Right. Well, uh, welcome back. Thanks for not bringing an invading army through a portal this time.”**

**Loki’s molars ground together in irritation. Oh, for Hel’s sake, why did Thor have to bring along his playmates?**

**“Indeed...” he frowned, blatantly ignoring the insult to his dignity for the sake of propriety - they were, after all, the only humans who had ** ** _ever_ ** ** been invited to this event.**

**“May I introduce my wife Iona, the new Allmother. Iona, this is Anthony Stark, otherwise known as Iron Man.” What a ridiculous name...there wasn’t an ounce of iron in that gaudy suit of his...**

**Then he introduced her to Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton (who refused to even ** ** _acknowledge _ ** **Loki...and who could blame him?), and lastly, Bruce Banner...who he still had trouble tolerating after their last encounter** .

They all stared at Iona uncomfortably, some even with what looked like pity in their eyes. That confused her even more. Moreover, she couldn't shake the feeling that Stark, the mouthy one, was out to insult Loki at every turn.

That made her see red.

"Pleased to meet you all," she stated in her queenly, well-trained voice. "We're overjoyed to share the celebrations with your lot. I'm certain that you feel the same."

They blinked and gave her somewhat confused nods in return.

"We must move forth with the feast and merry-making. I grow tired of waiting." She gave them all a wide grin, and then she simply walked ahead and right past them, linking her arm to Loki's to essentially take him with her. "Come along, my lord husband."

She could feel their stares trying to burn holes into her back as she and Loki moved towards the feast that had been arranged for them out in the open. It was a nice thing that the place was warmed through some kind of magic. Otherwise, the Midgardians would likely freeze to death.

**He walked with her toward the head table, feeling a bit relieved at being whisked away. He ** ** _really _ ** **didn’t want to interact with The Avengers…they were his ** ** _least_ ** ** favorite part of this planet.**

**However, his relief at being pulled away from them was short-lived.**

**Loki and Iona both slumped (discreetly, of course) as Iona's parents approached them, with simpering smiles plastered on their faces.**

**"Your majesty!" Iona's mother crooned, coming toward him with open arms. He instantly switched to his Allfather mode.**

**"Lady Bergljot , it's a pleasure to-"**

**She ** ** _hugged_ ** ** him. She actually had the audacity to ** ** _hug_ ** ** the Allfather. He stiffened.**

Iona cringed and gasped as her mother so audaciously embraced Loki.

It was an embarrassment to say the least. No one approached the king, the Allfather, like  _ that _ .

Had she tried that with Odin, she'd have been struck down or tossed away.

**There were a few ways he could react - most of which would have embarrassed both of them thoroughly - and he was grateful that the centuries of royal etiquette that had been drilled into his skull took over.**

**"Ah...yes..." He let the embrace continue, and he rested an overly formal hand upon her back to return the friendly gesture. "So glad you and Lord Trygve were able to join us this year to see your daughter's official ascension to the station of ** ** _Allmother_ ** ."

Loki was exercising supreme patience, evidenced by his wooden expression and clenched jaw. Iona grabbed her mother by the shoulders and pulled her away, whispering to her to behave herself as she did so.

She gave Loki an apologetic look, feeling the weight of responsibility for her mother's actions on her own shoulders.

Her mother, however, wasn't done.

"Of course, your majesty," Bergljot stated with glee, pushing Iona's hands away. "We're family now, so we had to come. It's the first time that our daughter is doing something worthwhile! Being your wife is a blessing!"

**Bergljot's words stung his ears...on behalf of his wife.**

** _It's the first time that our daughter is doing something worthwhile_ ** **...what an awful thing to say about your child...in front of your-**

** _Your birthright was to DIE!_ **

**Hmm....the memory stung anew. And here he thought he'd gotten over all that past unpleasantness.**

**But then...he got an idea that might very well solve two problems at once.**

**"Lady Bergljot,” he smiled warmly and spread his arms toward her, exuding the most welcoming and caring attitude he could muster. “It would honor me greatly if you were to entertain our venerated guests, the ** ** _Avengers of Midgard_ ** **. Please, allow me to introduce you."**

**He led both of them away - Lord Trygve was, as usual, sullen and silent while his wife was a complete opposite - and he gave Iona a quick look before leading them to the heroes, who appeared to be wondering what they were drinking...**

Iona sighed in relief as Loki maneuvered her parents away from her, looking like he was trying to sic them on the Avengers.

She smiled. That would be the best. The Avengers and her parents could annoy each other, leaving the rest in peace.

But she could still hear her mother chattering away... saying things to Loki that might just make her ears bleed in embarrassment.

"You ought to perform the most important royal duty soon, though," Bergljot whispered -  _ loudly  _ \- to Loki, grasping his arm. "My daughter is stubborn and resistant I know, but you must get her with child. I can send in some herbs to encourage and ease it..."

Iona just looked at the floor and hoped that it would swallow her. She also hoped that the Avengers heard none of that.

_ Loki, make her shut up, please...  _ she thought, her face red now.

**"All in good time, Lady Bergljot. With one as sweet and delicate as your beautiful daughter, I must be gentle and have patience - as I'm certain you would expect of the man who first introduces her to the duties of a married woman."**

**It was the most roundabout way he could think of to explain their current childless state, but he hoped it would be enough.**

**"Ah, here we are! Thor, I'd like to introduce your friends to Lady Bergljot and Lord Trygve, Iona's parents. They are MOST interested in the goings on of the Avengers and life on Midgard - please, would you indulge them while I attend to my responsibilities for the celebration?"**

**Thor, as usual, was thrilled at the suggestion. "Of course, Brother! Wonderful to meet you again, Blurgen and Trivet! Is it your first time to Midgard?"**

**Loki chuckled as Thor took them - wide-eyed and wondering how to get out of the conversational grip of the eldest Odinson - toward the group of mortals keeping to themselves. He looked back once, and Loki gave him a grateful nod before heading back to Iona.**

**"That should keep them busy for a while. What...interesting people..." he muttered, offering her his arm.**

Iona took his arm and squeezed it gently, looking up into his emerald eyes with gratitude.

"Thank you, Loki. You’ve shown patience that my parents don't deserve," she said, rising on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. 

**"Oh, they certainly don't deserve it. But ** ** _you_ ** ** do, so I oblige, my dear." He smiled. "Besides, it's ** ** _your _ ** **big night. Once the sun goes down, you're officially the Allmother of the Nine Realms."**

**He chuckled and bumped shoulders with her playfully. **

**"Don't let it go to your head."**

**Then he leaned closer and nuzzled her in a surprisingly intimate gesture for the occasion, He hadn't done it consciously, but when he found he was already doing it, he just let it continue.**

**"Are you prepared? Do you need to practice your lines again?"**

Iona shivered in pleasure, leaning into him as he pulled her closer, his lips tickling her earlobe as he spoke.

"No, I'm fine with the lines. Also, I want it to flow naturally.  _ The power of the Allmother will speak through me _ !" She giggled a bit as she thought about the inherent power vested in the title. "It's said that it focuses on one's interests, enhancing them, making it possible for the Allmother to bless her subjects in those arenas... among other things. And to think that nearly  _ all  _ my interests have been dominated by  _ you, _ lately..."

**"You'll soon have plenty more to do than ** ** _me_ ** **," he teased. **

**The sky was beginning to pink along Midgard’s strangely curved horizon. It was stunningly beautiful - winter here was cold and crisp and white, and the reddening hue of the sky reflected across the snowy landscape. Loki had always loved the cold - for now obvious reasons - but Midgardian winter was tamer than Jotunheim's warmest season. It was honestly ** ** _pleasant_ ** **… perhaps he and Iona could have a summer home here, someday...**

**He held her shoulders gently as a chill breeze blew through his hair. "You will be a wonderful Allmother, Iona. And after sunrise tomorrow, when we can leave this powder keg of a social experiment and get back to the palace, I'll give you your Jule gift."**

Her face brightened at his praising words.

"A gift? I cannot wait for it!" she said excitedly, almost jumping up and down in a very un-ladylike fashion. She controlled the urge at the very last moment.

Frigga came up to them, then, bringing with her the petite and beautiful Midgardian woman who had caught Thor's attentions.

"Son, daughter, you remember Jane Foster," she said. Iona nodded, thrilled meet the woman again. Loki, however, grew stiff once again.

He watched her sharply, as if daring Jane to act in a certain way.

"I believe it's  _ Doctor _ Jane Foster, mother," he replied, "she  _ is _ a scholar of a high standing here."

Jane blushed and looked a bit embarrassed, arousing Iona's curiosity. 

"I am. Hello to you too, Loki, and your royal kingliness," Jane replied, and then, smiling wider, she leapt right into Loki's arms, giving him a hug that seriously rivaled Thor's.

The act was so sudden that Iona stepped back in shock, while Frigga laughed heartily.

**Loki was ** ** _thrilled_ ** ** to see Jane again - he hated to admit that Thor had excellent taste in women, but the fact that he had chosen someone based on her mind and not her physical skills...well, that suited Loki just fine.**

**He picked her up and spun her around once before setting her back down on her feet, smiling brightly.**

**"It's wonderful to see you! You look well! It seems Thor and his band of...let's call them ** ** _'compatriots'_ ** **...haven't scared you away yet."**

**"Not just yet," she laughed, then she turned to Iona. "And Iona! You look beautiful. Welcome to Earth— I mean, Midgard!"**

**She reached out and hugged Iona warmly.**

Iona was still stunned by Loki's treatment of Jane... so warm and affectionate. When she embraced Iona, it took her a bit longer to respond. She  _ did  _ return it, though, with the poise of a queen.

"Thank you, Jane, I mean, good  _ doctor _ ," she replied, a bit confused now as to how to address her. "You look very regal as well. I have actually come to Midgard before. Once. It was very different back then. Not as many people, and there were no modern machines of travel..."

She looked to Loki for guidance, afraid that she may be sounding a bit too stiff. Jane seemed very friendly, but she didn't know if she ought to completely shed her queenly persona before her.

**Jane just giggled in a way that was disarmingly authentic - yet another thing that Loki found he appreciated about his likely-soon-to-be-sister-in-law. She knew other Asgardians - himself included - usually took a bit of time to warm up to her.**

**“Oh, we have all sorts of tech here now. You should come by the lab some time,” she suggested to Iona, who was nodding absently and regarding her with wide and rather confused eyes. “Tony and I are working on a collab these days, and the stuff he makes is just amazing! I get to play with a lot of toys, and working on my cosmic theories is much more fun this way.”**

“I see that we have a lot of catching up to do,” Iona responded, with more warmth behind her words now. “I also think that you ought to return to Asgard soon. Heimdall has made a few new additions to the Observatory. And our library now hosts many books from Midgard, all thanks to  _ your  _ influence.”

Jane grinned and nodded, while Frigga patted her on the back.

“I will surely visit soon. Thor has been mentioning you and Loki a LOT, lately. It seems like you’ve tamed the beast and domesticated the God of Mischief into a good king and husband.”

Iona simply shrugged in response, her face reddening. Oh, if only Jane knew what that  _ beast  _ was like...

**“I’m ** ** _inherently _ ** **a good king,” Loki said with a pompous air, earning him a mock glare from Jane. “Though, I shall give credit where it’s due - what with the taming of the beast…”**

**Jane giggled at his comment, while Iona turned a deeper shade of pink. He did ** ** _so_ ** ** enjoy making her blush.**

**“Jane!” Thor shouted from across the venue, waving her over with a smile.**

**“Excuse me, your ** ** _majesties_ ** **.” Jane smirked at Loki and nudged him with her elbow before taking her leave. Loki watched her go for just a moment before turning back to Iona, who had the most curious look upon her face...**

"I used to think that you had a very tenuous relationship with her," Iona confessed as she studied Loki with questioning eyes. "The court gossip didn't shut up about her punching you for weeks."

Frigga, who was still standing with them, laughed at her remark, reaching over to fuss with Loki's cape.

"That's because Thor didn't shut up about it. He admired Jane even more after that incident."

Iona shook her head. Typical of Thor to admire rashness and lack of impulse control.

**“And she didn’t punch me. She slapped me. ** ** _Like a lady_ ** **,” Loki tried to correct Iona. **

**He chuckled at the memory as he did so, then looked at the darkening sky on the horizon, the vibrant pinks turning slowly to nightly shades of purple and blue.**

**“It’s almost time. Mother, Iona, why don’t you take your places - I’ll get our guests.” With that, he took his leave of them and headed toward Thor and his group of mortals. At least the Asgardian nobles already knew what to do...**

**“Thor, ** ** _honored _ ** **guests, the first ceremony is about to begin,” Loki said with as much haughty disdain as he could manage. It went completely over Thor’s head, but that redhead, Natasha Romanoff, gave him a look.**

** _Mewling quim_ ** **, he thought to himself, then took his place at the head table - the place that had, for millennia, been occupied by Odin on this night. It was strange...**

Iona and Frigga approached the centre of the feasting arena, where space had deliberately been cleared for the ceremony to commence.

Frigga smiled fondly at her former lady-in-waiting, presenting her with the special cloak that the Allmothers had worn for millennia upon millennia. It was preserved with a special magic - the same inherent magic that coursed through the Allmother.

It was both symbolic and literal, the cloak passing from the Queen Mother to the new queen of Asgard. Through it passed the tradition and powers of the station.

Iona went down on one knee before Frigga, trying her best to remain calm as the ceremony progressed. She didn't know how the powers would affect her, and it made her nervous.

Frigga unfurled the cloak and wrapped it around Iona's shoulders, clipping it closed with the golden pins that held Asgard's sigil.

It was done. The guard had been passed. And once the sun rose, all the powers of the Allmother would officially be transferred to her.

All around them, every Asgardian’s voice rose into the night, crying  _ “Hail to the Queen; Hail to the Allmother!” _

**Loki watched in calm silence as Iona donned the cloak, cheered on by their people. Such a powerful symbol it was. For his whole life, he’d only ever seen it worn by his mother, and only on the most sacred of occasions. But now his wife, his Iona, was the one who had it on her shoulders. **

**His heart pounded.**

**This was always meant to be ** ** _Thor’s _ ** **wife...he believed he’d watch this ceremony from afar, then go to Frigga while Thor took his wife’s hand and brought her back to standing. How the roles had changed on their heads...**

**Now, as he walked to Iona and took her hand gently in his, he could see her beaming with pride as she looked back at him. Tradition be damned, he wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms for the rest of the night and-**

**“IONA! OH, DAUGHTER I’M SO PROUD OF YOU!!!” Bergljot shoved her way between them and began to lead Iona away, towards the group of lady nobles she had been gabbing with before (** ** _and_ ** ** during) the ceremony. Loki almost exploded with anger, but Frigga put a calming hand on his shoulder.**

**“Patience, Allfather,” she said chidingly. “Lady Bergljot is just excited. Give her time - we have all night before the sunrise.”**

**Loki sighed, and turned to her, smiling despite his irritation at Bergljot’s behaviour. “Thank you, mother. For ** ** _everything_ ** **. Iona was an excellent suggestion for a wife and queen.”**

**“My son, have I ever led you astray?” She smiled and embraced him, patting his back in motherly affection. **

**Loki gave Iona one last apologetic look before they headed to their table for the feast… she would find her way back to him soon. Despite his intentions towards it, he couldn’t possibly monopolize his wife’s time and keep her constantly with him.**

**He would need to learn to have more patience.**

Iona tried her best to handle her mother after the ceremony was over. As the hours passed, she grew increasingly loud and brash, much Iona’s consternation. 

Her father was no help either, as Bergljot disturbed the feasting tables with her mead induced rowdiness.

"Father,  _ please _ take her away," Iona entreated, pulling a yelling Bergljot from a table. She had almost started a fight.

Bergljot, however, wasn't in the mood to be escorted away. 

"Hush girl! I'm your mother! The  _ Allmother's _ mother! I'm finally a royal! My daughter... pathetic little twit... finally did something worth mentioning to everyone in my circle!"

Iona’s cheeks burned as her ladies-in-waiting tried to help her with her mother, many of them grasping her arms to pull her away. It was all turning into an embarrassing spectacle. 

**Loki sat uncomfortably between Thor and Frigga, his leg bouncing under the table while the empty seat beside him remained...** ** _empty_ ** **. **

**Bergljot had been pulling Iona around to each group of nobles, showing her off like an acquisition, being a nuisance… ** ** _Norns,_ ** ** that woman was incorrigible!**

**Finally, he could no longer handle being ** ** _‘patient._ ** **’ Loki stood up and walked up to the gloating woman, putting on all the pretenses of the Allfather.**

**“Excuse me, ladies.” He nodded to Iona’s ladies-in-waiting and grasped Bergljot’s shoulder to turn her around. “The Allmother is needed at the head table...”**

Iona breathed a sigh of relief as Loki came to her rescue, pulling her away from her mother’s harsh grip while he held her in his grasp.

But her mother didn't let go. Her grip on Iona tightened, nails digging into her arm as Loki tried to move her away.

"She'll listen to me! She always has!" Bergljot shouted, much to Iona's growing embarrassment.

_ Norns help her _ , she was feeling everyone's curious gaze on her.

" _ I _ wanted her to marry Thor," Bergljot went on, wailing in a most unladylike fashion. "But Thor didn't even consider her! Now we're stuck with  _ you _ , trickster!" She pointed right at Loki, making some of the Midgardians snort in derision.

**Those snorts ended abruptly when Loki went from mildly irritated to raging with fury in no time flat.**

**“** ** _Lady Bergljot_ ** **...” he growled, in a much less kingly and much more Jotun-like way - though Iona would have been the only one to recognize it. “Let go of my wife. ** ** _NOW_ ** **.”**

**Loki reached down, and with more force than necessary, removed the woman’s fingers from Iona’s arm. He half wanted her to push him, just so he would have an excuse to wipe that obnoxious look off her face…**

Iona gasped as Loki finally pried her mother's claws off her.

"Father," she muttered, looking at Lord Trygve with utter disdain, for he was more bothered with finishing his drink rather than taking care of the situation. "Take her away. I assume you are capable of it."

Iona took a shaky breath as she turned and stared up at Loki's furious face, feeling the weight of her mother’s impropriety on her shoulders.

"I'm so sorry..."

**As Trygve grunted and put down his mug of mead, Loki heard Bergljot make one last comment...**

**“I can’t imagine what Iona has to put up with in bed with that one...do you remember his nickname? ** ** _Little Pokey Loki_ ** **?”**

**That did it.**

**“Ahem, before you go...” There was a chill to his voice as he addressed her. A chill that was very familiar to Iona… “You are no longer welcome in the royal court, Lady Bergljot. Your behavior is unacceptable! As the mother of the ** ** _queen_ ** **, I had hoped that you would learn to reel in your impulses. Sadly, I see that is not - and never will be - the case. You will not be welcome at any of the royal events or ceremonies in the future.”**

**Then, he narrowed his eyes at her as he protectively put an arm around Iona’s shoulders.**

**“Including this one. You will remain in the skiff until this celebration is over. Upon our return, any duties you oversee will be delegated to other, more deserving individuals. Now, you may take your leave.”**

Iona was filled with gratitude as Loki dealt with her overbearing mother. As her father grasped her mother's arm and pulled her away to the skiff, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath of relief.

Grasping Loki’s forearm, she leaned into him as peace returned to the feast. 

"Th-Thank you," she murmured softly, for Loki's ears only. "This is why I was so hesitant in bringing them..."

**“Come, my dear,” he said, eyes still focused on the retreating couple, while that wretch of a woman squawked and carried on about what an affront this was to a lady of her standing. “Some people never change.”**

**He brought her back to the head table and gathered some food and drink for her while she and Frigga chatted.**

Iona let Loki provide her with food and wine, feeling too mentally overwrought with everything that had happened during the evening.

He was sweet enough to hand feed her even, which she graciously accepted. Once or twice, she even playfully bit his fingers, reminiscing about the day of their betrothal.

The Midgardians at the table chattered endlessly, especially Stark, perhaps looking to keep the attention on himself. She wondered how his wife tolerated him. He was constantly babbling!

**The rest of the all-night celebration went smoothly once Iona’s parents were dismissed. The music played, the feast was never-ending, and Loki danced with Iona until the sky began to grey with the coming dawn. His chest tightened a bit with nerves...** ** _the song_ ** ** was coming up. And for the first time in his life, Odin wouldn’t be singing it. It would be ** ** _him_ ** **.**

**Before the sun tipped over the horizon, he excused himself from the crowd, needing to take some time to settle his nerves.**

Iona stayed with Frigga while Loki went to prepare for the song of dawn and the Asgardian glory.

It was a very important part of their Jule celebrations. And this year, it was the new king of Asgard who was supposed to perform this ritual.

Iona knew that Loki was feeling extremely self-conscious. He wasn't the one to sing publically.

"So... I hear that Loki is the new  _ Jólnir _ ," Tony Stark asked, coming over to Iona and Frigga, looking amused. "And that's like, the origins of  _ Santa Claus _ . Right?"

Iona looked to Frigga, who nodded sagely. 

Stark looked even more amused then. "So basically Loki is the new Santa? Oh damn! I suppose this year all the presents will go to the naughty kids!"

Beside him, the other mortals chuckled, except for Steve Rogers, who looked mortified.

"I'm not sure I understand," Iona stated confusedly, but Stark just kept chuckling to himself. 

Just then, the Asgardians began to stir, coming to the centre of the arena in their predefined formations.

Iona looked beyond them and saw that Loki was back, looking very determined and focused as he walked towards the head of the formations in true ceremonial style.

**The first rays of sunlight broke over the snow of the hills, and everyone went quiet. The world seemed to go quiet as Loki took a deep breath...and began to sing.**

> ** _“Heill dagr, heilir dags synir,_ **
> 
> ** _heil nótt oc nipt_ **
> 
> ** _Óreiþom augom lítiþ ocr þinig_ **
> 
> ** _oc gefit sitiondom sigr_ **
> 
> ** _Heilir æsir, heilir ásynior,_ **
> 
> ** _heil siá in fiolnýta fold_ **
> 
> ** _mal oc manvit gefit ocr merom tveim_ **
> 
> ** _oc lecnishendr, meþan lifom...”_ **

**His voice resonated deep within his chest, and he could feel the power of it overcome him. Whether there was actual magic in the song, or whether it was his emotional state, he felt the weight and gravitas of the moment as he continued, only opening his eyes to look upon his beautiful wife as the first bits of sunlight landed upon her, and she began to glow…**

Iona gazed at her people as she was bathed in the rays of the first light. It marked the final transformation... the final shift. Suddenly, Iona felt a divine infusion right into her bones, making her heart thrum with it's intensity. The power was literally pouring into her. From merely the queen of Asgard, she stepped into the shoes of the  _ Allmother _ . 

She looked up at Loki, a smile slowly forming on her lips. She now had the powers of an Allmother. She  _ was _ the Allmother.

Her husband's deep, alluring voice was even more magical as he sang the song of their people. The other Asgardians joined him then, building a strong chorus as Iona approached him.

Their hands clasped together as she began singing too, joining Loki in the last notes of his song, and beginning her own, blessing the Nine Realms with her newly received power.

The Allfather and the Allmother both stood facing their subjects as the sun rose up in the sky, marking the completion of a momentous first day of Jule.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I (Latent-Thoughts) was sick (I haz tummy ache) and hence, we couldn't update on time.  
Sorry for the delay. We hope that the monster chapter of 5k+ words makes up for it. 
> 
> **ALSO ALSO, THIS HAPPENED OMG, WE'RE ALL COLLECTIVELY LOSTING OUR SHIT:**  



	27. Gifts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki gives Iona her Jule gift.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

**Everything was in place. The fire was burning in the hearth, the candles were all lit, and the soundproofing wards were spread so thoroughly that someone directly outside the open window wouldn't be able to hear the bifrost explode in there.**

**And he waited.**

**It was the second night of Jule and Loki was ready to give Iona her gift.**

**As soon as she walked through the door, he splayed out on the fur rug in the most salacious pose he could manage, completely naked in front of the fire, a well-wrapped green box with a golden bow on top barely hiding his manhood. The walls were covered in dozens of softly glowing candles on all the ledges, shelves, and mantles of the room, and a bottle of fine wine stood within arms reach next to two crystal glasses. Dishes of elaborate desserts and treats rested on a low table nearby.**

**And on his head rested his helm, the two ostentatious golden horns rising up and back like proud sentries.**

**He said not a word, choosing instead to simply enjoy her reaction.**

Iona entered their bedroom in a bit of a distracted state. She had just returned from her meeting with the Queen Mother, after having a discussion about the upcoming midnight hunt. She hadn't participated in a hunt before, and thus, everything was new.

However, her musings about chasing mythical creatures halted immediately as her gaze found Loki.

He was draped over the rug like a libidinous offering... wearing only his helm. 

All around the room, candles flickered and danced, painting his beautiful body in a warm glow.

"Husband, what are you doing?" she asked as she carefully approached him.

**"Giving you your Jule gift, darling." His eyes watched her carefully as she moved, and he grinned when she sat primly next to him. "I'd say you’ve more than earned it after last night, ** ** _Allmother_ ** **," he teased, then reached up and stroked her cheek gently, sighing.**

**"Your eyes are beautiful in the firelight."**

She smiled and blushed, placing a palm over his chest.

"I didn't know you were going to be so cheeky about the gift," she said, giggling as she looked at his artfully covered modesty. "Of course that  _ is _ the best gift you've given me. Your manhood is legendary, sire."

**He chuckled and looked down for a brief moment before catching her gaze again. Hearing her call him ** ** _sire_ ** ** made him stir. **

**“Well, yes...no lies there. But ** ** _that_ ** ** is yours already - it would be a ** ** _faux pas_ ** ** to try and pass this old thing off as a new gift to you, wouldn’t it? No, my gift to you this Jule...is the best orgasm of your life.”**

Her eyebrows went up immediately. 

"I thought you had already given me that gift," she replied, blushing again. "Several times. What is this all about, husband?"

Her hand slowly moved from his chest towards his manhood, and she picked up the box carefully, watching him with interest.

**Inside, there were two different metallic objects on a black velvet cushion - one gold and one silver - and a small vial of clear liquid rested between them. The gold object was perfectly smooth and oval-shaped, slightly smaller than the palm of her hand. The silver item was roughly the same size but shaped like a rounded cone, and had what looked like a long, thin handle attached to the large end.**

**Loki watched her face for her reaction, wondering if she knew what they were.**

Iona tilted her head as she observed the objects closely, blinking in confusion. She flushed a little as he watched her keenly, as if he was expecting something from her.

"Are these for some kind of ritual?" she asked, running her fingers over both the objects. She was quite surprised by their smoothness. 

Picking up the vial, she wondered if it contained some kind of anointing oil. 

She felt as though she was somehow disappointing Loki, for she had no knowledge about this gift she had just received. The only thing she could think about was that they were part of a fertility ritual--since he had mentioned orgasms...

"I'm sorry, I do not know what to do with them," she said helplessly, crawling over his naked form to cuddle up to him. "Will you show me?"

**“I had no expectation that you would understand this gift when I first gave it to you, but I’d hate to explain if you were already aware...” He grinned. “These are pleasure toys. ** ** _Enhancers_ ** **. Aides to my efforts.” He nuzzled into the crook of her neck, relishing the scent of her hair and skin. “And I could think of no better gift for our first Jule together. Drink?” **

**He changed the subject abruptly before she could ask any more questions - the surprise would be part of the fun.**

**He sat up slightly, keeping her close, and brought the bottle of wine and the glasses closer to them. “Seeing as this is primarily a Midgardian celebration, I thought it would be appropriate to enjoy one of the few impressive things that realm has produced - a wine made from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape, aged in specialized oak barrels for several years before being bottled and aged several more years in a cave. The whole process is overly complicated and time-consuming, but there is no denying the result.”**

**He poured a small amount into each glass, then lifted his to swirl the rich liquid within. Slowly, the wine’s aroma wafted up to his nose, tickling his sensitive olfactory senses. He took a small sip, eyes closed.**

**“Mmm...excellent. And once that bottle is empty, we can move on to the next part of our evening.” He kept his eyes on her as he took another sip.**

Iona wished to know more about those...  _ toys _ ... but Loki had managed to quickly distract her with the Midgardian wine.

"Oh! I have read about this drink!"

As she brought it to her lips and inhaled its bouquet, she was overwhelmed by the heady scents of dark cherries, holiday spices, and toasted oak that danced from the glass. Letting the fragrance settle in her mind, she took her first sip - bright flavours of blackberries and cassis filled her mouth, immediately followed by a velvety texture of tannins. 

As she swallowed indulgently, all the scents and flavours lingered on her tongue for uncountable moments before finally evaporating into the ether.

"It's... it's certainly flavourful and rich; it's like I can taste Midgard on my tongue. Do you prefer sweet wines or tart ones?"

Loki's intense gaze mesmerized her as she tried to imitate his actions, leading to a little accident. She swirled the wine a little too enthusiastically and it spilled it all over her bodice.

"Oh no!" She cried out, feeling the wine trickle between her breasts.

**Loki’s eyes followed the spill as it dripped down her skin, and unconsciously licked his lips before manifesting a cloth napkin to clean her. “Don’t worry - there’s plenty more for you to practice with...”**

**He gently wiped up the wine from her chest, then frowned at the stain spreading through the fabric of her dress.**

**“Willa is going to have a conniption...we’ve ruined more dresses in the last few months than Odin and Frigga did in their entire marriage.”**

**He chuckled, looked at her mischievously, then waved his hand over her body. The dress unravelled itself from her body, the threads gathering themselves in skeins by color...after a few seconds, all that remained of the dress were several organized piles of material.**

**“There,” he smiled. “At least now it isn’t a complete loss.” He looked down at her now naked body next to his - took a moment to breathe and control himself - then poured her another helping of the wine.**

She had watched with amusement as he had neatly unravelled the whole of her dress. Her husband and his tricks...

"The seamstresses already look me funny in the eye whenever they come in to take my measurements for new dresses," she admitted. "I bet that they gossip among themselves a lot, especially concerning how my clothes keep falling apart or how often my dresses end up entirely shredded. You're a  _ beast _ ."

She took a few sips of the wine then, quite enjoying the feeling of his heated gaze upon her bare skin. Her nipples tightened under his constant regard, as if wanting to desperately present themselves for his attentions.

**He loved watching the way her body responded involuntarily to him - the stiffening nipples, the goosebumps that spread down her arms, the way her pulse quickened. He gently slid his fingers along her soft skin, caressing her as he took another sip.**

**"To answer your earlier question, I prefer my wines dry - that is to say, without sweetness. That way, I can enjoy it while I have ** ** _other _ ** **sweet things..."**

**He leaned forward, his nose touching hers, his eyes staring into her soul...then he sat up, holding a small plate of dark chocolate truffles that had been on the table the moment before.**

**"Such as these. Take a bite, then take a sip. It's Valhalla."**

She honestly wished to push the treats aside and instead have her fill of  _ Loki _ . It was unfair, how he was just sitting here, naked, within her reach, and she was expected to be indulging in wine and chocolates.

Still, since he was offering them so earnestly, she popped one in her mouth and then followed his instructions. 

Once again, the flavours burst into her mouth, the dark, rich chocolate melding with the decadent wine, sliding down her tongue like silk.

She couldn't help but moan in response. "Ohhh... why did I never think to try this!?"

**He smiled as he placed a chocolate in his mouth - his eyes rolled up momentarily as he enjoyed the taste - and took another sip. Wine and chocolate had long been a favourite pairing of his.**

**"Indeed," he said, just the slightest hint of mischief tinting his words. "That is to be the theme of the night, I believe...allowing you to try things you never thought to try before...and I think you'll find that everything I have in mind will be at least as pleasant as the wine and chocolate..."**

"Why do I feel like you're reassuring a lamb being taken to slaughter?" She giggled, biting into another chocolate.

She then rose to her knees and leaned over to kiss him, sharing the truffle with him as her tongue danced with his.

"Mmmm... I'd mix the chocolate and wine and pour it over your beautiful body,  _ sire _ ," she murmured against his lips after a while. "And then proceed to lick it off you..."

She giggled again, imagining the mess they'd create. Oh, this was an insane thought... perhaps the wine was getting to her.

**Loki returned the kiss and hummed with satisfaction. **

**But as she spoke...he raised an eyebrow, grinned, and proceeded to lay himself flat along the fur rug, setting his golden helm aside.**

**"Oh, by all means...there's a bottle of chocolate sauce on the table. I had planned to save it for ** ** _later_ ** **, but I'm finding myself rather impatient for its use..."**

**He was thrilled that her inhibitions were starting to loosen, and eager to see what she might try to initiate herself tonight.**

She bit her lip as he actually did what she had suggested. Oh Norns... she suddenly felt out of her depth now.

Reaching for the bottle of chocolate, she poured a spot of it over his chest, her hands shaking a wee bit. As she lowered her mouth onto his chest, she looked into eyes with growing uncertainty.

"Won't you get... sticky?" she asked, spreading the chocolate with her index finger, her breaths beginning to stutter.

**He closed his eyes and chuckled as the warm, viscous liquid spread across his chest. "Not if you do your work well..." **

**He smirked, bringing his arms above his head and grasping his hands together, leaving himself open to her ministrations.**

**"Though I've found the mess can add to the fun, in the right circumstances..."**

She rose up to straddle him then, and then lowered her head over his chest to lick the chocolate off him. 

With her hair in a long braid, she didn't need to worry about it sticking to it. So she proceeded voraciously, enjoying the taste of the dark liquid mixed with the unique taste of her husband. It wasn't unlike a wine bouquet. 

"Mmm... so sweet," she moaned, closing her mouth over his right nipple, biting it in her enthusiasm.

**Loki's back arched as she nipped him, and a keening moan escaped him before he could quiet it. He pressed his lips together, almost embarrassed. For her first touch to elicit such a response...and here he thought he'd act as her controlled, knowledgeable guide tonight. It appeared he might very well have to relinquish some of his plans if she kept this up.**

**"Take another sip..." he suggested, sighing, eyes closed as he felt her tongue and lips on his skin. "There are more hints of coffee in this chocolate than the truffles...it brings out the - ** ** _Norns_ ** ** \- earthy tones in the Cabernet..."**

Iona grabbed the glass of wine and gulped all of it, feeling more unfettered than before. And then she descended upon him again, biting, sucking, digging her nails into him.

This salacious play with him was causing a deep ache inside her, making her womanhood throb with need.

"I... I need more," she confessed, looking up at him with hooded eyes.

**He almost couldn't hear her over the sound of rushing blood in his ears as he squeezed his hands together, forcing himself NOT to touch her. ** ** _Not yet..._ **

**"Of course," he groaned, his throat tight with desire, but instead of sitting up, he decided to use his seidr to pour her another serving - and top off his own glass - before setting the bottle back down beside them gently. It was about half gone already...and he was starting to feel the effects of it himself.**

**As was his cock, full at attention against her soft stomach as she straddled him.**

**"I'd like another sip, if you could assist me, dear wife..."**

She smiled lazily while she drank her fill of the wine, dropping the last few drops from her glass onto his abdomen. Licking it off... she came up to his face and licked his lips. 

"Are you thirsty,  _ sire _ ?" she asked, biting his chin. Unsteadily, she picked up his glass and lifted his head up. "Here... all yours."

**He carefully drank from the glass, eyes flicking up to watch her once he was sure he wouldn’t spill. After a while, she removed it from his lips, and he licked them clean of the few errant drops that had tried to stray.**

**"Have you had your fill of chocolate, darling?" His silky voice belied his struggle to keep from ravishing her, determined not to let the Jotun take over the night. Tonight was for what he wanted to show her.**

"Perhaps I have... "

She reached between them to tug on his manhood. Her eyes took on a naughty gleam as she poured some chocolate on to its head. 

"Perhaps not..."

She then moved down his body to wrap her lips around the head of his hard length, sucking it till all the chocolate was gone. She was still new at this, and it showed. But she was enthusiastic about it, at least.

**He hadn't expected it, and as such his reaction was unguarded and authentic - the burn of the alcohol, the texture from the chocolate, and the heat of her mouth around him...his hands started to move down to her, but stopped midway, suddenly unsure of where he should put them. He fisted them at his sides as he writhed and whimpered while she cleaned him, and when she was done, he could hardly think or breathe. True, the technique wasn't perfect, but she made up for it with her ardor.**

**The technique could always improve with practice. Robust, consistent practice...**

**Swallowing hard and catching his breath, he sat up on his elbows and watched her with a half-surprised, half-desperately hungry look.**

**"Lay down. It's time to introduce you to your new toys..."**

She was still busy suckling his manhood when he spoke. Her eyes widened and her mouth let go of him with a very lewd  _ pop _ .

"What do I have to do?" she asked, rising on her knees to flop over his body, rubbing herself on him to relieve the ache between her legs.

**He rolled her over and sat back, kneeling comfortably between her legs. Then he reached for the box and pulled out the golden ovoid, and slowly brought the cold metal to her center.**

**He gathered some of her ample natural lubrication on it, taking his time with the task and sliding it along her slick folds, enjoying her confused and decadent expression.**

**"I designed this myself...after vigorous testing. I think it's almost perfect for what it's meant to do, but I'll leave the final judgement up to you."**

**Then he put the tip of it under the hood of her clitoris, and it began buzzing against her quietly, shooting sensations through her most sensitive area.**

Iona didn't know what happened... but suddenly, her body was on fire, inundated with so much sensation that she cried out in shock.

Unthinking, she tried to crawl away from Loki to avoid the sudden assault of extreme pleasure on her little nub. It was almost painful.

"What... is this magic?!"

**He actually laughed as she pulled back from him, and the buzzing ceased.**

**"Yes, it's powered by seidr, but the device itself is rather basic. As is the intent of it. I can start you on a less intense setting, if you'd prefer. I know it feels strange, but once you grow accustomed to it, I think you'll find it's...well, it's rather incredible."**

**He didn't want to push her too fast, but he was so eager to introduce her to all the sensations these small devices could provide, he was struggling not to let his dominant tendencies take over.**

Iona relaxed a bit as he explained it. Slowly, she shifted back to him, taking his hand in hers. 

"You're so experienced in all of this. I feel like such a novice. I... I want to learn. I want to  _ please _ you," she confessed, squeezing his hand. "I just... it was so sudden, I couldn't help but react like that. Try it again. I'll be good."

**He cupped her cheek in his hand, looking lovingly into her eyes. “Do you remember what I told you at your wedding dress fitting? Everyone starts somewhere. Even me. I’m looking forward to sharing all of it with you...eventually. But only at ** ** _your _ ** **pace. You must always keep me privy to your feelings when we play, Iona. And if you feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed in a ** ** _bad_ ** ** way...”**

**He paused and considered for a moment, then a look of epiphany crossed his face.**

**“Call me ** ** _‘Laufeyson_ ** **,’ and I’ll stop immediately. How does that sound, dear?”**

She nodded, blinking and smiling at him. "I hadn't even thought of that..."

He was being so attentive to her, and she felt like basking in it all. Rising up on her elbow, she bestowed a sweet kiss upon his lips, silently thanking him for his patience with her.

**He returned the kiss, then returned them to their original positions - her on her back with her legs spread, and him kneeling between them. He rubbed the golden device along her center again, this time allowing it to buzz as he slid it along her nether lips and through the delicate curls of hair.**

**He grinned as she shifted and arched, trying to get some purchase on the pleasure it promised. Slowly, he moved it closer and closer to her nub until...**

**He pressed it gently on top of her hood, making small, light circles.**

Iona tried hard to stay in the position that he had laid her in, but the buzzing... the metallic touch... it was so  _ strange _ . Her body was feeling overwhelmed.

"Loki!" she cried out as he circled it around her clit, teasing it, torturing it slowly. "P-Please!"

She thrust her hips forward, seeking more contact with the object. But in the next moment, she withdrew, for it was too much. It was so very confusing.

"Oh, husband  _ please _ ..."

**“Hmm...maybe this will help.”**

**He inched himself forward and aligned himself with her opening.**

**“Sometimes a more familiar feeling can make the new experience less overwhelming...”**

**He pushed himself inside her slowly, swallowing thickly as her heat surrounded him. Norns, the control was so hard to maintain, but seeing her face flush with that beautiful glow while experiencing a new type of pleasure for the first time...he ** ** _had_ ** ** to keep his composure.**

**He held the device on her clitoris as he filled her to the hilt, then let her rock against him and find where the sensation of its vibration felt best.**

Iona's brows furrowed in concentration as she chased her pleasure, opening herself up to him slowly. 

The sensation of being so full, along with the buzzing of the device, had her reeling. She looked up at him as the sensation crested, her legs tightening around him.

Her hands gripped his strong shoulders as she began to move beneath him, flexing her inner muscles to squeeze the hard column of flesh inside her. 

"I... I'm going... to come!" she moaned, her back arching involuntarily.

**Truth be told...so was he. He tried to keep himself together, but knew that it was inevitable as she clenched around him.**

**“Oh, Iona...” he growled, his hips now starting to match her frantic pace. “Come, sweetling...”**

**And he pushed the device down on her clit and increased the vibration’s intensity.**

She shrieked. So loud that she was sure the guards heard it down the royal corridors.

Loki's name was the only thing that came to her lips as she lost herself to the intense orgasm that he (and his  _ toy _ ) had given her. For a minute or so, she just blanked out, unable to sense anything else but the pleasure coursing through her.

It was mind-numbing...

**Thanking the Norns that he’d secured the soundproofing wards, he let out a growl as he released himself, coating her insides with his seed. He removed the device from her and caught himself above her, caging her body as his orgasm shuddered through him. **

**He watched her come undone beneath him, breathing heavily, her gorgeous face contorting as she went through the throes of passion.**

She returned to her senses after a few minutes, grasping his inky locks to seek comfort in them. 

"That was  _ incredible _ ," she whispered, lightly scratching his scalp, still swimming in the afterglow. "I like your magical toys."

**He chuckled. “Yes...not bad for the first one...” He eyed her mischievously, grinning.**

"First one?" She frowned, eyeing him suspiciously. Then, in the back of her sex-drunk mind, she remembered that there was  _ another  _ toy, and a vial... with something in it. " _ Oh _ ..."

**“Oh yes, dear. The night is young...and that bottle of wine is still only half empty. Also...” He grunted as he sat up and reached for another plate of treats on the table. “There’s more food. You wouldn’t want to deny my hospitality, now, would you?”**

**He picked up one of the flaky looking pastries, and held it up for her to eat from his fingers.**

**“Now be a ** ** _good girl_ ** ** and indulge me for a while longer.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit delayed, but here's the chapter. Yes, I'm (Latent) still sick. I hope that I'd be fine by Sunday. Being sick really harshes my fic updating joy.   
Anyhow, we hope you enjoyed the chapter. We love all of your comments. <3


	28. Novelty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iona gets some more novel experiences courtesy Loki.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

**“Now be a ** ** _good girl_ ** ** and indulge me for a while longer.”**

_ Goodness _ , she always felt a shiver run down her spine whenever he called her a  _ 'good girl' _ . 

"Yes,  _ Daddy _ ," she murmured, opening her mouth to receive the pastry between her lips. She wanted to see if he'd react to that.

**Goodness, he always felt a shiver run down his spine whenever she called him ** ** _'Daddy'_ ** **.**

**"Mmmhm," he chuckled. "You're such a quick learner." He gently held the pastry while she ate - no pushing it into her face this time - and when she was done, he retrieved both their glasses, topping them off yet again. There was perhaps one more glass for each of them in that bottle still...**

**"To new experiences," he grinned, raising his crystal goblet to her in salutation. His cock, tired though it was, jumped a little as she licked a crumb off the corner of her mouth.**

"To new experiences," she said, a bit nervous as to what their next new experience was going to be.

She drank her fill of the wine in a slow draught, letting the silky liquid soothe her throat. After all that shrieking, she needed it.

**He continued to feed her little treats - delicacies from around the Realms, all specially selected to pair with the wine. The pastries were from Vanaheim; there were ice berries from Jotunheim; some light candy floss that would nearly float away if you let go of it - a delicacy from Alfheim; earthy sweets that tasted like smoke from Musphelheim; a grey purée that tasted much better than it looked from Niflheim.**

**And after each treat, they toasted.**

**Even Loki had to admit that he was feeling the effects of the alcohol by the time the last drop of wine was consumed. He laughed almost sloppily (** ** _almost_ ** **...he was still a king, after all) and his glassy eyes traveled over her naked body with lecherous hunger.**

Iona was leaning against his side now, swaying a bit. She tried to eat a treat and drink the wine simultaneously, but her coordination was not all that good now.

She was giggling more regularly too, unable to help herself as Loki kept making funny quips here and there. How  _ unladylike  _ of her...

Her drunk eyes then landed on his crotch, specifically his engorged manhood. The mere sight of it made her throat feel parched all over again.

When she looked up, he was watching her, his expression conveying an intense hunger.

"Something on your mind,  _ sire _ ?" she asked, taking the last gulp of her wine and then draping herself back against the rug, essentially presenting herself to him.

**It took him longer than usual to respond - his alcohol-soaked brain was taking in everything she was showing him. It even took him a moment to register that she had spoken.**

**After a few too many seconds of gawking at her unabashedly, he blinked rapidly and shook his head to try and clear it.**

**“Um...sorry...yes, yes there is.” He crawled over to her across the fur rug, feeling bestial. “Your ** ** _second _ ** **gift...”**

**He took the vial out of the small box and held it up with a flourish. **

**“This oil is the best friction reducer I’ve ever created. Years of research, some magic, even some help from other species. And it’s completely safe to use...** ** _anywhere_ ** **...”**

She frowned. Why was he talking about  _ friction reduction _ ?

"I think we produce our own friction reducing substance."

She giggled, cupping her breasts and feeling them up gently. It was so sensual...

**“True...” he said, his eyes growing wide and his pupils beginning to dilate, transitioning slowly from translucent emerald to deep black. “But that’s not where I was planning to use it...”**

**Norns...his already tenuous inhibitions were quite reduced...and she was so ** ** _gorgeous_ ** **...**

She blinked and looked up at him, biting her lip in anticipation.

"Then where…?" She trailed off as she remembered overhearing a conversation between two women during a feast...  _ years  _ ago.

They had been talking about a very different kind of sexual act.

It hit her suddenly... 

"Umm, Loki?" she asked in a timid voice, curling up on the rug. "D-Do you mean... the rear?"

**Her small, squeaking voice did nothing to quell the dark excitement that he finally let himself enjoy. He nodded, getting close to her and taking her breast in his hand, gently thumbing over the nipple.**

**“I promised you the best orgasm of your life. The trick to that is creating layers of sensation...” He reached up and took her other breast in his hand, laying her down on her back while he worked at the sensitive tips.**

**“So we start with one sensation, an easy one...in this case, the nipples and breasts. Did you know you can have an orgasm just from nipple stimulation?”**

**He gently twisted and pinched them both, reading her body language - the way her breathing changed, how she arched her back, what expression she wore - to determine how much harder or softer to tease them.**

**“It’s even better if your arms are bound...pulling against a restraint can be incredibly arousing. Would you like to try it again?”**

She gasped as he kept playing with her breasts, making it so damn hard to think straight. What was he asking her.... ?

Oh...

_ Restraints _ … 

Her mind flew back to that time when he had tied her up against her will. 

"Umm... but how would I get out... if I wanted to?" She arched her back slightly, pushing her breasts into his hands, her body seeking more of what he was doing to her. "I mean, I trust you... but it's a bit scary to be tied and rendered so helpless."

Her breathing became more laboured as she thought of him tying her up. She'd be his captive completely. He could do anything to her...  _ anything _ .

Suddenly, a rush of arousal swept over her, leaving her gasping all over again.

**He grinned. “You have all the freedom here, if you ** ** _do _ ** **want to be released from your bindings. Think back, sweetling. What must you say if you want me to stop?”**

**He bent down and took one breast in his mouth, still toying with the opposite nipple with his hand.**

"Ohh!" She moaned as he began to suck and tease her nipples. "Umm.. Laufeyson?"

Her thighs wanted to come together and squeeze, but he was between them now, and he was essentially holding her down. She couldn't move to even rub herself on him.

**Instantly, he stopped, sitting back on his heels and looking at her mirthfully. “There, you see? All done. It’s that easy.”**

She nodded, rising on her elbows, breathing heavily. "Now, please come back."

**Grinning, he brought his face back down to her chest and began again, nipping and licking and pinching her breasts until she was writhing beneath him once more.**

**“Mmmm, you’re so ** ** _responsive_ ** **,” he groaned, mostly to himself. Then he flicked his gaze up to her, utter salaciousness in his eyes. “So I’ll ask again - would you like to try this while your arms are bound, spread open and unable to move?” **

**He felt himself go even harder at the words, and he leaned his hips low against her center, allowing her some purchase to rub herself against his abs.**

She whimpered, wrapping her legs around him immediately, dragging her needy sex against him. 

"Yes... anything. Please, take me now...? I can't take any more of your teasing, husband."

**“I’m certain you can - and you will,” he said almost casually. “You’ve taken a lot of my teasing before.”**

**Keeping her hips hiked up on his own, he reached over to her right and extended her arm out. When it was in the position he wanted, a quick shimmer of seidr glowed on her wrist, and a leather restraint appeared, attached to the floor. Then he changed sides and attached her left arm, and sat back for a moment to enjoy the view - his wife, the Queen of Asgard, naked and panting on a fur rug on the floor in front of a roaring fire, arms spread open and legs wrapped around his waist.**

**Perhaps this was a Jule gift for him, instead?**

**Locking the image in his memory, he bent down again and began to attack her sensitive breasts in earnest, bent on giving her an orgasm through this stimulation alone.**

She pulled at the restraints as he went back to torturing her breasts with his wicked mouth and fingers.

The leather straps didn't budge, but they held her wrists in an almost delicate grip. Her breath hitched as her body responded to being completely helpless. A slight panic came over her, but Loki’s presence, his weight over her, was somehow soothing enough to make her give in...

**He felt her shuddering beneath him as he worked, sucking her nipples hard enough to mark her but not enough to cause panic, riding that fine line of pain and pleasure he so enjoyed straddling with her.**

**And he felt her relaxing into it, her moans and squeals echoing throughout the room as she gave into him. That, in itself, gave him a heady rush.**

**“Are you close, Iona? Can you feel it?” he mumbled into her breast, never removing his mouth from her skin. She was practically vibrating...**

"Loki!  _ Please _ ... I... I need...." she whimpered again, feeling desperate and  _ so  _ needy. She wanted the release so badly, but she didn't know that she could have it like this, with him just toying with her breasts.

Her legs rose over his torso again, wanting to pull him down on her, to have him fill her.

**“Iona,” he growled, then he took both her nipples between her fingers and pulled them upward, stretching them gently and letting the natural weight of her breasts pull them taut. “Let it happen, sweetling. It will be different, but it will be ** ** _so good_ ** **....”**

**Then he dropped them so they fell hard to her chest, and squeezed her nipples almost harder than she could bear...**

She cried out, tears welling in her ears as the pain rose with pleasure. It was all too much. 

"Loki!" Her hands fisted the leather bindings, pulling on them with all her strength.

Suddenly, the pleasure rose to a peak, and so did her volume.

**“That’s right. You’re doing so good for Daddy...” He continued to squeeze and fondle her, more gently now, eyes transfixed as he saw her come undone in front of him.**

**As she crested over her pleasure, he reached down and slid his fingers along her nub, gently helping her come down but not letting her fully relax into the orgasm, keeping her going.**

**“There now, you see? I knew you could do it...” He expected that she might no longer be able to speak, but he kept his tone dark and silky.**

She simply panted, unable to say anything for now. Her nipples ached, feeling far more sensitive now than usual, and her body was on fire from the strange orgasm.

Still, she unconsciously tried to rub herself against his fingers.

**The restraints shimmered away, and he grinned again. “Let’s turn you over, dear,” he crooned, and he lifted and moved her gently, so she was on her knees in front of him, ass in the air and completely open and presented to him. Her shoulders and head rested against the fur, her arms tucked into her sides.**

**“Comfortable?”**

**He could ** ** _not_ ** ** get the satisfied, sadistic smile off his face. He had dreamed about this moment all the way back in the dungeons, watching her pert little ass walk away from him under that thin fabric of her dress, a haughty sway in her hips...**

**Now, here she was...** ** _all his_ ** **. And he would certainly make it worth ** ** _both_ ** ** their while…**

Honestly, she felt very vulnerable and exposed, but she tried to swallow the discomfort. She had given herself over him repeatedly in the past, so... this was just another way to share herself with her husband.

Right?

"Yes, Daddy," she murmured, letting her long hair cover her face and her deep blush.

**“Good girl...” he purred, and watched as a shiver cascaded down her spine.**

** _Norns_ ** ** she was so damn tempting like this! He felt heat rise on the back of his neck as he placed one hand on her lower back, and pushed two fingers slowly into her wet, engorged channel. She cinched around him almost instantly, and the noise she made...** ** _good gods of gods..._ **

**Then, he coated the fingers of his other hand with some of the liquid from the vial, and began to gently circle the pucker of her ass.**

Iona moaned and closed her eyes, trying her best to keep herself in position. Her legs trembled as he began to touch her rear opening... her most secret part. 

_ Oh Norns. _ .. it felt so strange.

And yet, she kept her trembling lips shut. She didn't want to stop him.

**Still pumping into her center with one hand, he delicately began to dip his finger inside that tight circle of muscles, coaxing it to relax. The oil aided him in the entry, but she was still too tense...**

**With a look of slight concentration, he stopped penetrating her just long enough to grab the golden device. He held it to her clitoris, and its shape began to change, molding itself comfortably and firmly to her body. When he released it, it stayed where it was, and began buzzing against her gently - not enough to shock her out of her trance-like state, but enough to draw her attention to the new sensation.**

**Then he pushed his fingers back into her hot channel, feeling the vibrations inside her as well. He turned his attention back to her rear entrance, and smiled as it seemed to loosen for him now.**

**At exactly the right moment, he dipped his finger inside her, rubbing the thin bit of skin separating her two pathways between his hands.**

Iona was fully trembling now, clutching the soft rug in her hands as Loki began to explore her, sliding his finger in and moving it in a way that had her feeling as though her soul was about to leave her body.

She didn't exactly know what all he was doing, for the sensations were far too many for her to comprehend. The only thing that her body knew was that she was gaining an odd, intense pleasure from all of this.

Soft gasps were all she could manage for now; no words would come out of her mouth... no words at all.

**He worked her like that for what could have been minutes or centuries - he’d completely lost track of anything other than her body. He was so tuned-in to every moan and gasp and shudder of hers, completely in control of his beautiful queen.**

**The trust she gave him was such a rush, and he dare not do anything that would break her spell of overwhelming pleasure. He added another finger to her rear eventually, wanting her to grow accustomed to the full feeling.**

**Finally, once she was loose enough for him to know she was ready, he removed his fingers from her rear and retrieved the third item from the box...the silver object with the handle. He leaned over her back and whispered softly to her.**

**“Time for your third gift, my beautiful wife. You are doing wonderfully, my gorgeous, precious, ** ** _good girl..._ ** **”**

Oh... all that praise made her glow. If his sensual ministrations weren't enough, his decadent words were going to absolutely ruin her.

She mewled like a desperate kitten, hiding her face into the rug as he pushed the other toy, the silver one, gently into her rear passage.

"Oh!" She leaned forward, the cold of the metal and the size of the toy taking her by surprise. She tried her best to not move away from the foreign sensation of being filled by it, even though it was overwhelming. "Loki...  _ Daddy _ ..."

**“Relax, sweetling. I’ve got you,” he said softly, his eyes widening as he watched the object disappear inside her, feeling it settle with his fingers in her pussy.**

**“That is ** ** _so _ ** **good darling. Just marvelous.” His mouth was dry, he was so excited. He could feel the golden device humming, her cunt squeezing his fingers... and the tightness of her channel now that the silver object was filling her from behind. He tugged on the handle gently, wiggling it just a bit, so the large end of the smooth cone pressed against all the nerve endings of her rectum at once. He thrilled at her reaction as she left out a guttural, almost bestial groan...she was almost completely lost to the sensations, he could tell...**

**“You’re almost there, darling. So close...just one more thing. Are you ready?” At this point, he would have accepted an enthusiastic moan as a “yes.”**

"Yes!" She sobbed, unthinkingly pushing her bottom towards him. 

Her nerve endings were dancing with sensation, and her body only craved more. He had set something off inside her, made her  _ so  _ hungry for pleasure.

**“Good girl...” he said again, his throat so tight with anticipation he thought he might choke. He removed his fingers from her channel and aligned himself with her, the painfully engorged head of his cock just dipping into her hot, wet heat...**

** _You can do it...you can hold out...come on, Loki..._ ** ** he coached himself mentally, so desperate for her that his hands shook uncontrollably. **

**Slowly, so slowly, he pushed himself forward, holding her hips, closing his eyes, his Adam’s apple dancing with the insane pleasure and almost unbearable patience he still, ** ** _still_ ** **, held onto with every ounce of willpower he possessed.**

**“Ionaaaa,” he groaned, feeling the weight of the silver object inside her, feeling the vibration from the golden device, feeling her clenching around him with a death grip, feeling her body trembling violently as all three of her sensitive areas thrummed with his work.**

**And he was in the middle of it all.**

She wailed and clutched the rug so tightly that her nails dug through it, poking holes inside it. Loki was inside her, so big and throbbing. His toy was inside her as well, keeping her on the precipice of intense pleasure. Oh, and her clit was a captive to his other toy, getting buzzed gently.

So full... she was  _ so full _ , and her body was loving all the sensations. He had been right, she had never felt  _ anything  _ quite like this. This was all new. 

Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she moved beneath him, trying to take all that he was giving her. "Oh Norns, Loki!  _ Fuck! _ "

She usually never used such crude language, but right now, she was not herself, she was lost to pleasure. Her tongue had broken loose...

"Fuck... me... Daddy...." she moaned, just as he began to move inside her, growling in her ear.

**“Yes, baby girl, that’s it...” Words were almost lost to him. He rocked back and forth, not needing the violent, hurried motions to tip him into completion. This slow lovemaking was almost as heady as the heat of mating. **

**And when she started swearing...**

**Good fucking NORNS he was hot and ready and could barely keep a coherent thought in his head...except to wait until she came. He HAD to wait for her, or all of this, all the building and waiting and control, would be for nothing.**

**He felt her walls flutter, she was shaking all over, about to implode or explode or whatever would happen when he released this tsunami of an orgasm on her. And then he could rest, but not before.**

**“You’ve done so well, my good, sweet Iona,” he grunted with a gravely whisper into her ear. “I’m going to finish you off now. Let it take you over - hold nothing back. I have you...”**

**With that, he sat upright on his knees, grabbed her hips so she wouldn’t unconsciously push him away from her in the throes of passion, and thrust himself into her with all the enthusiasm and vigor of a wild beast, praising her name and feeling the telltale tingling at the base of his spine...**

Iona simply slipped into a state of muted consciousness then, too overwhelmed with the sensations he had just drowned her in.

Her insides clenched, tightening around his hard length and the toy, throbbing in rhythm as her orgasm crashed over her. Her body moved on its own, pushing back against him, shaking and digging into the rug as she screamed his name and let go.

What happened next... she didn't know. All she knew was that she was swimming in carnal pleasure. 

Her eyes were open, but she wasn't seeing anything. Her mouth was parted, but she couldn't speak...

**He felt it. He felt her lose control of her body, no longer able to think or speak or register anything outside herself. And he was proud - of her, for letting go, for trusting him, and allowing him to do this to her; of himself, for pushing her but not breaking her, for introducing her to this world of pleasure she’d never known; for the both of them, for what they had achieved together.**

**He held her tight, and let her clenching cunt milk him into an utterly overwhelming orgasm. He emptied into her, taking deep, gulping breaths, black beginning to creep in at the edges of his vision as he held onto consciousness for dear life.**

**Through her scattered locks of hair, he saw her face, so glazed with pleasure and devoid of any thought, completely satisfied and spent and gone. He swallowed hard, still catching his breath, and gently stroked the hair out of her eyes, caressing her cheek as though she were a delicate porcelain doll, afraid she might crack if he were too callous.**

**“Iona, sweetling, you were brilliant. Amazing...” he whispered, coming down from his peak, his entire body tingling and alive.**

"Mmmmm... Lo..." she mumbled, closing her eyes and sighing as the afterglow took over.

She felt as though she had run the length of the Yggdrasil. So exhausted... so spent. 

She tried to speak up again, but it was tough to form proper words, for her mind was still somewhere else, floating away in pleasure.

A soft moan escaped her as he pulled her against his chest, and she clenched around him helplessly again.

**“There, there,” he said, stroking her hair and settling in next to her, still inside her heated, clenching channel. “Shhhhh...you don’t need to speak. Take all the time you need.”**

**The golden device had turned off and returned to its original shape after she climaxed - a handy bit of magic he’d thought up that read biometrics - slipping off of her with a soft clink.**

**He stayed with her, stroking her hair and skin gently, whispering soft praises and laughing softly with her, relishing the feel of her skin against his skin and the warmth of the roaring fire at his back.**

Iona pressed herself more firmly against his chest as he spoke to her with a gentle timbre. Such lovely praises dripped from his tongue... they made her feel as though she were glowing under their light.

Soon, she was lulled into slumber by his languid murmurs, the exhaustion of their intense lovemaking catching up with her.

**He felt her breathing even out and deepen, and smiled as she drifted off. **

**“I love you,” he said softly, nuzzling his nose into her hair. “Iona, my queen, my moon and stars, light of my life, I love you with all my heart.”**

**The confession felt good, and he squeezed her adoringly. Tired though he was, he wanted to care for her. Removing himself from her channel, he gently pulled out the silver object - eliciting just a small moan from her relaxed body - then cleaned and sanitized both of the toys quickly with his seidr (thanking everything in the Nine Realms for how convenient it made things) and returned them to the box.**

**Then, he manifested a warm, moist, soft cloth and cleaned her, wiping their joint effusions from her body, careful not to touch anything that would be too intense.**

**She smiled softly in her sleep, which made his chest expand with love and care and possessiveness. He’d never felt so connected to someone - though that likely had a lot to do with the ridiculous amount of endorphins that coursed through his bloodstream. But then again...he’d never had anyone be so trusting of him, and so willing to be so.**

**Standing carefully to ensure that his legs were sound, he went to the bath and started the water running, adding oils and flower petals so by the time the tub was full the entire chamber smelled of roses and lavender. Then he returned to his wife.**

Iona drifted in and out of slumber in the next hour or so.

In the enormous bath, cradled in the arms of her husband, smiling at the scent of flowers and bath oils.

In his lap, feeling him rubbing sweet oils into her skin after drying her.

Lastly, against the soft sheets of their bed, surrounded by his heady presence again.

This time, just before she slipped into somnolence once again, she murmured softly against his chest, "I love you, Loki."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I, Latent, apologize for the delayed updates. I'm dealing with some stuff in my life, and it's not an easy time for me. I appreciate your patience, dear readers. <3
> 
> We'd also like to inform you that there won't be an update this coming Thursday. We'll pick up again from Sunday onwards (16th Feb, 2020). Just a heads-up!


	29. Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Iona take part in the royal Jule hunt. Things don't go as planned.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV _

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

_[There's Kira's POV between these two, not hard to discern.]_

* * *

**Loki yawned as he ambled along on his stallion, bored to death by the silence of their hunting party. Thor was in the lead with Hogan, following the tracks of the bilgesnipe buck they were hoping to kill and bring back to the palace as the ** ** _royal Jule hunt _ ** **kill. With ** ** _spears_ ** ** and arrows. Like ** ** _cavemen_ ** **.**

**And he wasn’t supposed to ** ** _say_ ** ** anything. He, the ** ** _silvertongue_ ** **, rendered silent by tradition and ceremony yet again. Even as the Allfather, there were still some things that were proving inescapable. At least for now.**

**It was the first Jule after Odin’s passing, so he felt fairly obligated to participate in the hunt. But next year? He’d have to see how he felt, how the kingdom was adjusting to his rulership, and whether he’d have the patience to put up with this again.**

**He looked over to Iona, who was riding by his side on her own elegant mare, staring glassy-eyed ahead of her with a slight wince of pain at every jolt from the horse. The poor girl had to be aching from last night’s experience. He tried to catch her eye, and when she looked over, he gave her a knowing look, the familiar grin spreading across his face as he looked down to where the saddle met her body, then back up to her eyes.**

Iona was glad that the forest cover cast a fairly dark shadow upon the whole hunting party, for her husband's knowing glances towards her were making her turn progressively red.

This hunt couldn't be over any sooner...

Norns, she wished to be in the comfort of her chambers, perhaps perusing the new clothing designs by Willa.  _ Anything  _ would have proven to be more stimulating than this hunt. They had been waiting and watching the trees ahead for more than two hours now, and absolutely  _ nothing  _ was happening.

It was exhausting!

She looked over to Jane, whose little horse was obediently standing behind Sif's stallion, flanked by two of the generals in the Asgardian Legion.

Poor girl could hardly move.

At least Iona wasn't smothered and coddled like that, despite this being her first hunt as well. Loki wasn't the  _ overbearing _ ,  _ overprotective  _ kind... 

She wondered if Thor kept Jane under such security cover all the time… and if it stemmed from that one time she endangered herself and got involved with the Svartalfar magic...

Her listing thoughts were suddenly broken as Hogan raised his hand.

"I sense movement," he muttered, which galvanized the whole hunting party.

"Fun," Iona whispered to herself, trying to follow Hogan's lead. She couldn't see  _ anything  _ up ahead.

**Loki peered disinterestedly through the trees, trying to see what “movement” Hogan was referring to. It all just looked like a bunch of trees and bushes and dirt and other deep forest flora and fauna...**

**He heard Iona’s comment and chuckled, nearly snorting while trying to keep the sound contained. Norns, he felt like a bored schoolboy, desperate for ** ** _any _ ** **kind of distraction or entertainment. It almost felt like the boredom of the dungeon. How ironic, that the very person who had kept him sharp during his imprisonment was now here next to him.**

**“Keep your eyes peeled. A leaf might fall off of a tree next,” he said quietly, leaning toward her.**

"I'm not even blinking," she replied sagely, caressing her mare's mane. She  _ was  _ blinking as she spoke, which made Loki snort out loud.

Disgruntled with the hunt, she turned her attention to Loki again, and found him smirking at her. 

Norns, he was being insufferable with that suggestive look and devious grin...

"By the Norns, you two are the  _ heads  _ of this hunt," Sif admonished them both from the side. "At least act the part!"

Iona just rolled her eyes in response. 

"Can I dismount and go for a little stroll? she asked, adjusting herself on the saddle again. She was  _ sore _ ... "I'll just climb a tree if the creature shows."

From the corner of her eye, she could see Sif glaring at her in annoyance, but she simply ignored her. After all,  _ she  _ was the queen, not her. She couldn’t command her to act in accord with her.

**“Oh, I couldn’t possibly let you go alone, sweetheart,” Loki said, trotting his horse closer to her as he recognized this tiniest of opportunities to escape this drudgery; he was determined to seize it. “There are wild bilgesnipes about. And, Iona, ** ** _you_ ** ** don’t climb trees, let’s be honest. You might lose a slipper or pull a thread out of place on your cherished clothing.”**

Iona gave him a subtle look of admonishment. He was incorrigible.

"Thank you for your concern, my lord husband." She shook her head, trying to hide her smile. "But I cannot distract  _ you _ from the hunt. It is most important that you concentrate on it."

She made to get down from the horse, but Sif moved to stop her. At the same time, Hogan and Thor began to bellow.

"There it is!"

**Everyone in the party turned and looked to where Hogan and Thor were pointing...except for Loki and Iona. With a quick grin, he pulled her from her mare and onto his stallion, wrapping his arms around her in front of him.**

**“Fear not, Allmother! I’ll protect you, my love!” He laughed as he rode them away from the hunting party, away from the “bilgesnipe”, away from the boring tradition he hadn’t even wanted to endure in the first place.**

**They galloped into the forest until they came to a clearing, still within earshot of the hunting party. The group’s shouts and uncoordinated tromping through the underbrush was anything but covert. If there had been a bilgesnipe in the vicinity, it was surely gone by now.**

**“Ugh, this tedious hunt is grinding my nerves to their limit. I can’t stand it any longer, darling. We need to do something else.”**

"Loki!" She hissed and giggled and smacked his arm playfully. "You're breaking the tradition of the hunt! What would the Queen Mother say to this! She endured the Jule hunts too."

**“I think she’d be proud of me,” he stated with a snort, nuzzling her neck...then taking the opportunity to nip her neck playfully with his teeth. He felt her stiffen and shiver in his grip, and he grinned. “She was never thrilled by joining the hunt; Odin made her go every year.”**

**The horse took an unsteady step beneath them, unsure about what to do or where to go next.**

**“Whoa, Léttfeti,” he said softly, patting the strong animal’s neck firmly. “We have our queen here; show her some hospitality.”**

**Almost like he understood, the stallion calmed and stood quietly, gently shaking its mane.**

"Loki..." She moaned as he marked her neck with his mouth. 

Her hands held onto him for dear life. His stallion was big and tall, and she really did fear falling off him.

"What do you have in mind, husband? We're in the middle of a forest!"

**“Darling, we’ve ** ** _fucked _ ** **in the middle of a forest before...” he said as he brought his hands to her breasts, taking firm, squeezing handfuls. “I’m dying of boredom. I need ** ** _stimulation_ ** ** or I’ll go insane. And we ** ** _both_ ** ** know what happened the last time I nearly went insane…it’s for the good of Asgard, sweet girl. You should be honored to do your duty.”**

**They both giggled as the sounds of the hunting party got further and further away. Even as they started calling for Loki and Iona, he hoped that Thor and the rest of them had the good sense to know that they wanted some privacy and wouldn’t begin searching.**

**“Léttfeti is well trained. And he’s not one for gossip...” Loki said as his hand moved between Iona’s legs, the strange sensation of ** ** _pants_ ** ** on his wife an arousing delight in itself.**

Iona gasped as his sneaky fingers sought out her aroused flesh. A sense of mild panic came over her when she discovered that he was loosening her clothes with magic. 

"Are you getting into a heat again?" she asked with widening eyes. "What if they find us here, right in the middle of it?"

Even though her tone was of protest, she didn't make a move to stop him. 

"Are we not getting down?"

**“We are ** ** _not _ ** **getting down,” he replied as he freed her breasts from the confines of her tunic, instantly wrapping his fingers around her nipples and twisting them gently. His rapidly hardening manhood pressed against her back, and Léttffeti pawed at the ground nervously, keeping them steady but unsettled by the unusual movement on his back.**

**“Don’t make a sound. You might attract a ****_wild_** **_bilgesnipe_****.” He laughed darkly as he nipped at her earlobe.**

"Oh! On a  _ horse _ ?" she cried frantically, squirming as he all but molested her atop his black stallion. "Are you  _ mad _ , Loki?"

When he took away her underclothes and breeches with his magic, she realized that he was indeed serious about it.

**“Possibly...” He grinned, sliding his hand between her legs again and toying with the naked flesh he found once he’d magicked away the obstacle of her clothes from the waist down. It certainly was convenient to be able to use magic again - he had such a greater appreciation for it since their little bet.**

**He could no longer hear the hunting party; the sounds of the forest we’re all that met his ears - birdsong, the rustling of leaves in the wind, the occasional small creature scurrying across the forest floor. They were perfectly isolated.**

**“Don’t try to tell me you don’t enjoy it, sweetling. As always...I know when you’re lying.”**

"Your horse might not like it," she said weakly as he worked her arousal to a frenzy, her breath uneven and heavy. "I don't want to be dumped on the ground unceremoniously."

She let herself loll against his chest, her trembling thighs hugging the saddle snuggly as his fingers slid inside her.

"I... I don't understand how we're going to.... do...  _ this _ ."

**“Carefully, and with particular attention to balance,” Loki chuckled, pushing her forward over the horse’s neck so her ass lifted off the saddle. More magic, and now ** ** _both _ ** **of them were naked from the waist down. He scooted forward, pressing himself against her opening and holding her hips, ensuring that he wasn’t making any sudden movements that might spook the horse or cause her to panic.**

**“There now...easy girl...” he said sarcastically, fully enjoying the horse situation.**

She bit her lip and lowered her head against the horse's mane as Loki penetrated her from behind.

"Oh Norns, this isn't how I had pictured the hunt..." she moaned, her hands grasping the saddle tighter than before. 

Slow and steady, Loki managed to thrust inside her. When he was fully hilted deep into her channel, he simply held onto her hips and let out a deep groan of pleasure.

Despite her soreness from the activities of the previous night, she found her body responding to the intrusion with eager slickness. Norns, she really was addicted to his manhood.

**“No, this is ** ** _significantly_ ** ** better than how I had expected it to go,” he laughed, thrusting up into her while tensing every core muscle to keep them steady. He felt his pleasure rising exponentially, keeping an ear out for any sounds of the hunting party.**

**The hushed sounds of pleasure coming from her, the tight grasp of her slick cunt, the sheer audacity and mischief of their act, all of it gave him a heady rush of ecstasy.**

**He was nearly ready to release inside her when he heard some especially heavy footsteps coming from the woods. He forced himself to open his eyes, with Iona still moaning and rocking on his cock...**

**And there, directly in front of them, was the single largest bilgesnipe buck he’d ever seen, eyes narrowed and head lowering into a charging stance...**

**He froze, and he felt the horse begin to shift anxiously.**

**“Iona. Don’t. Move,” he said in a hushed whisper, his erection still squeezed within her.**

Iona's eyes snapped open at the tone of Loki’s voice, and her gaze inevitably landed on the creature in front of them.

"Oh no..." she whimpered, her whole body shuddering... in the strangest combination of arousal and fear. "Loki... pull out! I told you it was a bad idea!"

The horse began to panic as well, probably at the same time as her.

**Everything seemed to happen at once.**

**As soon as Iona spoke, the creature pawed the ground and then came thundering toward them. Léttfeti whinnied and bucked, and for a moment both Loki and Iona were airborne, coming apart while weightless above the ground as the horse threw them.**

**Hardly thinking, Loki’s seidr coursed through him, and a dozen illusions suddenly manifested around them. Distracted, the bilgesnipe stopped its charge for a moment, and as the horse bolted away, Loki and Iona landed with a hard thud on the ground. And when they ended up staring at each other in the middle of the clearing, the beast focused its attention on ** ** _him_ ** **.**

  
  


Iona felt the crunch of her wrists as she landed on the ground. The pain of it shot up her arms immediately. They were likely sprained, with minor fractures. But her focus wasn't on her wrists...

It was on the bilgesnipe, which was looking straight at Loki with its murderous ochre eyes.

"No!" She screamed, rushing towards her husband as the creature leapt and charged.

She heard Loki shouting, she felt the buzz of his magic in the air, and yet, she felt a great impact upon her body as the bilgesnipe collided with them.

And then she experienced even more pain than before.

**Loki had prepared himself to take the hit when he saw the monster lock eyes and focus on him. He knew it would hurt, and he’d likely be badly injured...but at least it would give Iona a chance to escape—**

**Then she jumped in front of him, putting her delicate little body between himself and the great beast. His heart froze.**

**“NO!”**

**Right as the bilgesnipe made contact with her, it’s feet were suddenly encased in ice. It stumbled as great columns of ice shot upward, lifting the creature off the ground and encasing its body above them, leaving only its head exposed; it roared so loudly in surprise and rage that the trees shuddered and the birds flew away in fear.**

**Not caring how furious the beast became, Loki got to the crumpled Iona as quickly as possible, picking her up with strong, blue arms. She laid limp in his grip, unconscious and injured, but alive.**

**Focused by necessity, Loki closed his eyes, felt his Jotun side recede quickly back to his Asgardian form, and teleported them to straight the healing wing of Asgard’s palace.**

**As soon as they appeared the emergency ward, the staff present there screamed, dropping plates and vials around him.**

**“The Queen is injured,” he said quickly, ignoring their shock and walking her to the nearest soul forge. He laid her gently on the table, eyes never leaving her face. “She needs help. Help her!”**

One of the assistant healers to Eir took charge of the situation and turned the soul forge on while the king hovered over the queen frantically.

The healer, Kira, tried her best to do her job despite the king's anxious presence in the room, though it was a great distraction.

"What happened?" she asked once the soul forge began to hum and swirl around the queen. "I thought you were both on the royal Jule hunt, sire."

**“A bilgesnipe attacked us. We were thrown from our horse and she was in its path as it charged.”**

**His voice was completely flat, eyes dark and locked on Iona’s lax face. How had he let this happen...?**

**He felt the guilt and rage swirling and burgeoning inside him, but for now it was capped by his abject fear of Iona’s condition. All he could do was stand next to her and watch, feeling utterly helpless. Her injuries had to be well beyond his ability to heal.**

**“How is she?” Loki asked emotionlessly, tamping down every feeling he had in order to keep himself composed.**

"There are a few sprains here and there,  _ and  _ a broken leg, but she'll be fine," she assured him, hoping that it would calm him down a bit. "Umm... you might want to put on some clothes, though. Not sure how you lost them in the hunt."

As she made that comment, she pulled a sheet to cover the queen's unconscious body, restoring her modesty. It was a good thing that Kira was used to seeing naked bodies in the ward, otherwise, she'd have burst out laughing.

**Loki broke his gaze to look down at his own body...suddenly realizing that, in his panic and haste, he had transported both of them into the middle of the healing ward naked from the waist down. Defeatedly, he closed his eyes and sighed, his lower half shimmering in gold as a new set of pants materialized.**

**“Thank you,” he said, again with no emotion. “You’re certain there is no internal bleeding or concussion? She was hit...** ** _very_ ** ** hard...”**

**Suddenly there was a lump in his throat, tears burning in his eyes as the memory of her fragile body going limp like a rag doll being thrown away from him. He forced himself to push that thought from his mind, to keep the tears from breaching their wells, to remain calm despite the circumstances.**

**“Is there anything I can do to help her?”**

Kira smiled gently at him. "You've done what you could. Bringing her here at the earliest was wise."

The soul forge began to show Iona's injuries above her, shaded in red. There was hardly any blood loss.

"You can see it here. Her leg is broken in two places. Sprained wrists..." Kira saw the flash of guilt on his face then, and cleared her throat to get his full attention. "You can share your troubles with me. The queen is a dear friend. I'm the one who gave her the salve for her, umm, itchy hives on her rear."

The other healers hadn't entered the soul forge chamber, so, at least, there was some privacy for a conversation. Till the arrival of Eir, that is...

**It took Loki several seconds to process what she’d said, his mind still reeling with turmoil...but eventually, the message landed.**

**“So...she’ll be fine?” **

**Kira gave him a firm nod.**

**The tears began to flow down his face in earnest, gratitude tinging the ever-present guilt in his chest. He was overreacting, he could see that now. But the tidal wave of relief was breaking down his fortitude.**

**“I’m...I’m so glad to hear it,” he said, swallowing thickly and rubbing the back of Iona’s hand gently with the pad of his thumb. He looked up at Kira for the first time since appearing. “I’m sorry...what was your name?”**

"Kira Gudrundottir," she answered, while she put a cast on Iona's broken leg. Her hands worked quickly, deft and precise in their movement. "You shouldn't blame yourself for her injuries. It was a hunt, after all. And she's not a huntress."

For some reason, her comment made the king react in the opposite manner than she expected. He looked even more miserable than before.

Now, Kira was a good healer, but she wasn't the comforting type. She felt rather helpless here.

Just as she was internally struggling on how to handle the present situation, Eir rushed inside the soul forge chamber, looking deeply worried.

“I heard that the queen was injured! Lo-Your majesty, why are you in here?" she hissed, pointing at the king. "Please leave. We'll attend to her."

**Mostly ignoring Eir - as he often did - he stepped away from Iona (surreptitiously re-clothing her in her hunting outfit beforehand).**

**“Thank you, Kira,” he said, giving her a small nod before teleporting back to the clearing to deal with the unwelcome intruder.**

**As he re-apparated, he saw the rest of the hunting party gathered around the pillar of ice that held the struggling bilgesnipe. It had lost much of its fight in the time he’d been away, now simply snarling at anyone who got too close.**

**Thor recognized the telltale ** ** _whooshing_ ** ** sound of Loki’s teleportation and spun around, eyes wide.**

**“Loki! What—“**

**“Iona and I were separated from the group, we were attacked by this bilgesnipe; Iona was injured, I subdued the creature and teleported Iona to the healing ward,” Loki rattled off before approaching the angry buck. “And now, as Allfather, I’m ending this hunt.”**

**In an instant, he had a dagger in his hand and he leapt upward, driving the blade down into the skull of the trapped bilgesnipe. He landed steadily before the first drop of blood hit the ground.**

**With a huff, he looked at the shocked faces of the gathered hunters and waved an arm, causing the frozen pillar to collapse into small bits of ice and the dead monster to hit the ground. “Field dress the body and head home,” he said to the others, then he grumbled under his breath. “I ** ** _hate_ ** ** hunting...”**

Iona woke up with a start, terrible pain shooting up from her leg.

"Loki..." She whimpered and shook her head this way and that, hands reaching up for the comforting embrace of her husband. "What happened? Loki?"

Her eyes fluttered open, recognising the faces of the healers working on her. 

Oh no... she was in the healing ward, and she was in pain. It could mean only one thing.

The realisation made her cry out for her husband all over again. She hated being injured and helpless.

**“Shhhh, Queen Iona,” Kira said softly, stroking her hair back gently. “King Loki will return soon. Your injuries were not life-threatening. And I only had to tell him that three times before he would leave your side.”**

**She smiled softly, then looked down at Iona’s broken leg.**

**“How does that feel? The pain should be nearly gone by now.”**

"It throbs," Iona mumbled, grabbing Kira's hand and squeezing it. "W-Was he injured as well?"

She looked up at her friend with wide, troubled eyes.

"Please, I need to know..."

**“He is perfectly well,” Kira said with a soft laugh. “Other than his worry for you, he was completely fine. He disappeared as soon as Eir showed up and kicked him out, but I’m certain he will return soon.”**

**Almost as though she had summoned him herself, Loki suddenly appeared next to Iona’s bed in a swirl of golden seidr. Seeing Iona awake, the most relieved smile of his life spread across his face as he took her hand and kneeled at her bedside.**

**“Darling, thank goodness! How do you feel? Are you well? Are they taking good care of you? How is your pain?”**

His frenzied questions caught Iona off-guard, and she nearly fainted again trying to follow his hasty words.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine. The pain is not so bad. Kira and Eir are the best healers here, worry not." She grasped his hand tightly, still feeling anxious over what had happened. "The...the bilgesnipe. Is everyone else alright?"

**“Yes. The beast has been...** ** _dealt with_ ** **,” his demeanor darkened just slightly as he spoke, but almost immediately he covered that pain and guilt and was smiling again, squeezing Iona’s hand. “We’ll be eating bilgesnipe steaks for months. But you needn’t worry about that. Kira?” Loki said, turning his attention to the healer. “How long will the Queen need to stay? We can make whatever arrangements necessary to get her healed as quickly as possible.”**

**“Well, actually, sire,” Kira said with a wry grin, “She may leave whenever she is ready. Her leg will take about two weeks to heal completely, but the cast is set and she can move about with crutches or a mobility chair. Then you two can continue on with...whatever it was you were doing when she was injured...”**

**Loki’s eyes went wide, then narrowed with admonishment, but Kira was already scurrying away to attend to other tasks and patients, leaving the royal couple blushing in the middle of the healing ward.**

Iona looked away and cleared her throat loudly. 

"Why does Kira know about what we were doing?" she asked in a hushed tone so that only Loki would hear her. "W-What happened while I was unconscious?"

She squeezed his hand again, wanting his reassurances once more. 

"Not that she's a stranger...but still, this is kind of embarrassing. We're the king and queen of this realm, we have to exercise some sort of discretion...no? Who else knows?"

**“In my haste to save you I may have...teleported us here without the bottom halves of our clothing...” Loki said, half embarrassed, half sinfully delighted. “But the important thing is that you are safe. And that healers are not allowed to share what they see in the healing ward. No one else saw us. Except the bilgesnipe, who is dead, and Léttfeti. But ** ** _he_ ** ** won’t tell anyone.”**

**With that, Loki scooped Iona up in his arms. “I’m taking you back to our chambers. It’s been an exhausting and traumatic day. You need your rest.”**

Iona sighed in relief at first, for she was finally going back to their chambers, but then she blinked in confusion.

"Loki, there are special chairs for people like me. You can place me in it and it will take me to the chambers on its own. You don't need to carry me."

She blushed profusely as one of the junior healers brought the chair to them for her benefit, but Loki still didn't let go of her.

**“I know,” he said, waving off the healer and the chair while never losing his pace. He didn’t say another word until they were back in their bedroom, and he laid her on a mountain of comfortable pillows.**

**“Now you stay here, I’ll be right back,” he smiled as she settled into the mattress, and a few moments later he returned with a trayful of her favorite chocolate-covered dry fruits and a glass of water.**

**He sat down on the bed next to her and fed her one of the chocolates, smiling as she took it in her mouth.**

**“I have the most excellent excuse to pamper you, and I’m going to take it. Now, what do you need, my love? Simply ask, and it will be yours.”**

"I just want to rest," she replied, taking a gulp of water. It was soothing to her strained throat. 

Norns, all that screaming had done her no favours. 

"And I want you to take care of yourself as well. I was so worried for you. We're not going on any hunts any time soon. I declare it law as per my divine right." She grew red again as she remembered just what exactly they were both up to when the bilgesnipe made an appearance. "Moreso, no more intimate endeavours while we're on a hunt,  _ IF  _ we do go on a hunt."

**“We are never going on another hunt after this, Allmother. Leave that to the warriors and the rangers - you and I will simply enjoy the feast afterwards. And that’s how it will be for the rest of my reign. I can promise you that.”**

**He gave her an almost lascivious look, though he tempered it masterfully with concern and love.**

**“Anything else, dear? You have the King of the Nine Realms at your beck and call...surely there’s something you desire?”**

After eating another chocolate, she sighed and let out a yawn, feeling rather helpless against the exhaustion that was threatening to claim her. It felt as though she had been crushed between two boulders and then dragged through a gnarly forest. 

"I feel so... _ ugh _ ... burnt out. Can you please come to bed and lay down with me?" she asked in a small voice, looking at him through her lashes. "I want for nothing else, as you're taking such good care of me."

**“I’d love to,” he said softly, carefully climbing into the bed next to her and ensuring he did not disturb her broken leg. Then he wrapped his arm around her and nuzzled his nose into her neck, taking in the heady scent of her. With a contented sigh, he felt himself suddenly relax all at once, like someone had opened a spigot and released all his worry and stress. She calmed him...and he started to doze off.**

**“Mmmm...perhaps an early night is just what the healer ordered,” he chuckled, feeling himself slipping into somnolence against the warmth of her body. “Sweet dreams, my love.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely readers. Hope you liked this chapter. [I, Latent, am still not back to my normal life, hence the delay in the update. It sucketh a lot for me right now, so please be patient and gentle with me. ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ ]


	30. Convalescence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iona is healing, and Loki is hovering all over her like a helicopter husband.  


**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki'__s/__Frigga's __POV _

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

When Iona woke up in the morning, she expected Loki to be already gone. The sun was high in the sky; she knew she had overslept. 

Groggily, she sat up in the bed and rubbed her temples, only to stop midway... because she found Loki sitting at the foot of the bed, a thick set of papers in his hands. 

He set them aside the moment he saw her moving. 

"Loki? Why are you here? It is late in the morn already..." She gave him a curious look, tilting her head sideways. "Is something the matter?"

**“Good morning, dear.” He smiled, meeting her eyes. **

**He was dressed for the day, as he would be for the court, but instead of being at his desk in the council room he had set up a temporary office in their bedroom. On the floor next to him was a massive wooden table, covered in all his pens and inks and stamps and all other things he did to conduct his business.**

**“No, nothing is the matter. I wanted to let you sleep. How do you feel?” He set down the papers as he awaited her response.**

"I'm just fine," she replied, pulling the covers aside as she perused all the new additions to their bedroom with growing concern. "But what is all this? Why is your official paraphernalia in our  _ bedroom _ ?"

As she moved to get out of the bed to get onto the mobility chair - thank the Norns to whoever thought it right to bring it here - Loki flew to her side. He lifted her up in his arms before she could even utter a word of protest. She could only gasp and hold onto him in her surprise. 

"Loki, there's a crutch and mobility chair right next to the bed. There's no need for you to pick me up like this!"

**“There’s no need to use those devices,” he replied with a chuckle. “Wherever you want to go, whatever you need, ** ** _I’ll _ ** **do it for you.”**

**Loki’s guilt had been nearly unbearable over the night. He’d tossed and turned so much that he had to cast a ** ** _sleeping spell_ ** ** on Iona to keep from waking her...then he’d felt guilty for casting a sleeping spell on her without her permission...**

**It had been a very long night.**

**As the sun had just begun to grey the sky, he decided that he had to make it up to her, to prove that she could trust him with her safety and well-being. If he had known that trying to fuck her on horseback in the middle of a bilgesnipe hunt would lead to this...**

**He would have made several other serious considerations before going forward with it anyway.**

**Loki smiled lovingly into Iona’s perplexed and guarded face, determined to show her he was worthy. “Where to, your majesty?”**

"I... umm... the bathroom?" she mumbled, her cheeks growing hot. "You know, the first thing to do in the morning? And then there's having a proper bath..."

She was really perplexed by his behaviour. There was absolutely no need for this kind of overbearing and excessive attentiveness. Her leg was broken, that was all. It would heal in no time at all.

"Loki,  _ please _ , you cannot be serious about this." Her eyes widened when he carried her to the bathroom and gingerly placed her back on the floor on her good leg.

**“Why wouldn’t I be? You deserve the best care, and I know that if I’m the one giving it, then it will be so.”**

**Loki stood in the doorframe, smiling, simply trying to appear available and eager to help...until she cocked an irritated eyebrow at him. Norns, had she adopted that from ** ** _him_ ** **? **

**Then, he realized that she wanted him to leave. **

**“OH! I’ll...um, wait outside while you—” Loki circled his hand in the air and looked upward, searching for the appropriate verbiage...but finding none “—you know. Anyway, just shout my name to let me know when you’re done and I’ll return.”**

Iona growled in frustration as she relieved herself and washed up. Loki was being  _ so  _ annoying, but she couldn't even be mad at him. He was just trying to care for her... in his own strange way.

And he was going way beyond what was required of him as her husband. 

"Loki, can you please bring me my crutch here?" she called while she struggled to get back on her good foot. "I do need to do certain things on my own, you know."

**Before she was even done with the sentence, he was at her side, helping her to stay upright. He hadn’t brought anything with him. **

**“Of course, anything you need, sweetling,” he said, bringing her close enough so that she could grasp his arms easily. “I’ll be your crutch. Let me take you back to the bed - I took the liberty of ordering those pastries you love so much and a cup of your favorite tea for breakfast.”**

"But... I wanted that bath so badly!" she protested as he all but one-arm lifted her and carried her to bed, not letting her walk at all. "I've not had a bath ever since we hastily returned from the hunt."

He nodded, as if considering her words seriously while he placed her under the covers. 

Then, his glowing magic encased her fully, almost taking her breath away with its static, almost ticklish sensation. It swirled all around her, cleaning her up and changing her clothes, making her feel as though she had indeed taken a bath.

She sighed. Well, at least his magic was very convenient in this scenario...

"Thank you... but you know, you don't need to go to such great lengths to cater to me. The cast is made in such a way that water cannot affect it. I can very well splash all I want in the water."

**“Of course you can,” he said right as there was a knock on the door. “Ah, that must be the breakfast!”**

**He realized, once he returned with the pastries and tea, that his tone may have come off as a bit more patronizing than he’d meant it to, as Iona was glaring at him.**

**“What is it, dear? Was that knocking too much of a disturbance? I can have a guard outside to stop anyone from bothering you. Here, let me sit you up...there you go...”**

**He adjusted her into a comfortable sitting position on the bed, trying to ignore her eyes boring furious holes into him as he worked. Well, regardless of her reaction, he was going to get her well as quickly and painlessly as possible.**

**“Perfect. Now, open wide, love,” he said as he lifted a pastry to her lips, which were curled into a grimace of annoyance.**

" _ Dearest _ husband," she said once she downed the pastry. "I would like to remind you that it is my  _ leg  _ that's broken, not my hands or back or my  _ other  _ leg. I'm fully capable of feeding myself with my hands, or even walking with the help of a crutch or walker..."

When Loki simply smiled benignly and kept feeding her, her annoyance reached a new high. 

She pushed his hand - and her favourite pastry - away and glared at him. 

"Loki, I mean it. Moreso, why in Helheim are you here? Don't you have your royal duties to attend to? The nine realms cannot suffer just because I got injured! You can't just set up an office here and pretend that it would be enough."

**Her words and abrupt denial of the pastry caught him off guard for a moment. He considered what she said, about her capabilities, about his responsibilities as king...then he simply fed her another pastry with that same placid smile on his face.**

**“The Nine Realms will be fine for a few...ahem...weeks while I attend to you, darling. Norns, Odin would be in Odinsleep for months at a time and hardly anyone outside the palace even noticed.”**

**He took a napkin and wiped a bit of the powdered sugar off of her cheek with a grin, then put his hand on her forehead, checking to see if she had a fever just in case.**

Iona shook her head. 

"Loki, you're most certainly  _ not  _ Odin. And you know that when he went into Odinsleep, the Queen Mother had to handle the kingdom on her own. When she didn't, it only led to disaster... Thor never really stepped up to help her and you were never given proper autonomy to help as the younger prince." She deliberately kept mum about the  _ one  _ time that Frigga had decided to make him the regent in her stead.  _ Better not to go there... _

She took a deep breath as she saw that he was not actually listening to her. His eyes were hyperfocused on monitoring her physical condition instead.

"Loki, I'm only  _ temporarily  _ injured, can you hear me?"

He simply sighed and nodded, but then went back to checking on her vital signs again.  _ Norns, why was he being like this?! _

His odd, overprotective attitude was something she had never seen nor been the recipient of. It threw her off completely. 

And it continued further. He fed her fruits, he fed her lunch. He stayed in the bedroom the  _ whole  _ day. What more, he didn't even let anyone stay in the bedroom for longer than half an hour, citing her need for rest to shoo them away at the earliest opportunity...

It was exhausting...

The next day, the same act continued. It fed Iona's irritation, till she all but screamed at Loki to get out and send Frigga in.

**Loki had been put off when Iona demanded that he leave her with Frigga for some time, but he supposed it would be alright - he trusted his mother more than anyone else to care for his precious, delicate wife. Plus, he considered it wise to go and get some ** ** _actual_ ** ** work done, as much as he would have preferred to stay by Iona’s side.**

**Frigga graciously accepted a kiss on the cheek from her son as he left. Then, after the door closed, she turned to face Iona and let out a relieved sigh.**

**“My dear, your patience astounds me. If Odin had behaved like that after I had been injured...Norns, he’d never have lived it down.” With her characteristic gentle smile, she sat next to Iona on the bed. “How are you feeling - is the pain too bad?”**

"The only pain I presently have is my overbearing husband," Iona replied with a cheeky smile. "I'm entertaining thoughts about the different ways to bury him beneath the fringe mountains."

She grasped Frigga's hand and squeezed it, giving her a look that bore the weight of her guilt.

"What happened to me is partly  _ my _ fault as well. Loki and I crossed certain boundaries during the hunt. It shouldn't have happened. All because we grew bored. I had promised you that I'd exercise discretion and patience in handling my responsibilities as the Allmother, and I failed in that...."

**“There is a difference between being the ** ** _Allmother _ ** **and being the ** ** _Wife of Loki_ ** **, dear.” Frigga chuckled as she poured and handed Iona a glass of lemonade. “He has his idiosyncrasies and challenges, and it takes a strong will to be able to rein them in, even if just a bit. But I do believe he has the best of intentions...most of the time.”**

**Suddenly, a look of concern crossed her face, and she looked sullen. “I only wish I had been able to be honest with him about his unique heritage from the beginning. It wouldn’t have been made public, of course, but...I do believe his struggle would have been lessened if he had known. And it also wouldn’t have been such a shock to YOU as well.”**

**She felt uneasy, bringing up Loki’s true nature with Iona. But it was something that needed to be addressed - despite all she had done to try and be a good wife, mother and queen, her guilt over THAT matter never seemed to disappear, especially now that Iona was one of the few who knew.**

Iona took a few sips of the refreshing drink and then set the glass down. She took her time in doing so, for she didn't quite know how to react. The sudden confession from Frigga had surprised her.

Perhaps her own admission of guilt had prompted her to do so...

"Well, considering how we got married, I'm not sure how you'd have imparted that information to me. But yes, I do think that he would've benefited from being told the truth." She clasped her hands together and considered such a situation in her mind. Perhaps, it would've calmed the storms brewing in Loki's psyche, and that may have made him less prone to mischief. "We may have fought less in our younger years."

A fond smile came over her lips as she thought of the petty grievances they both used to accuse each other of... and all the little mishaps that happened due to their continuing feud.

"We might have befriended each other, and even formed a duo against Thor." She looked up at Frigga, whose eyes were now glassy with unshed tears. "Regardless of what happened, I'd still have ended up with him, no? You knew that... didn't you? You were always  _ scrying  _ for him when he was in the dungeons..."

**“I never know ** ** _exactly _ ** **how things will turn out. It’s more...I can see an image of what may come to pass, but without context. I saw you and Loki next to each other, which could have meant anything - in my younger years, I had certainly taken that to mean those people would end up ‘together,’ and I learned the hard way that it’s not always as easy as that. But the way you two were looking at each other...” She smiled softly, feeling a warmth in her heart. “I knew something important would come about. And when he told me of his plan to marry you...well, I knew he was lying through his teeth about the reason, but I gave him my blessing because I saw how happy you would be. Eventually. There’s no indication of ** ** _when _ ** **my visions will come to pass.”**

**She laughed a bit and put her hand on Iona’s, her clear blue eyes meeting her amber ones.**

**“And now he’s ** ** _utterly _ ** **taken with you, like no one else he’s ever met. Unexpected, but not at all unwelcome.”**

Iona rolled her eyes to hide her giddy state. She was indeed in love with Loki... however twisted and winded that path had been. 

"Yes, well, now he's so utterly taken with me that he wouldn't leave my side until I threatened him and asked for you." After having her fill of soft giggles, she sobered herself fairly quickly to address the matter at hand. "That brings us to why I had called for you. Please...  _ please _ ... make your son see some sense. He's treating me like a delicate butterfly, which I'm not. Warrior I may not be, but I'm not a wilting flower either. Will you please convince him to let me use the mobility chair or crutches? Having him carry me everywhere is just..." - she shook her head as she spoke - "...it creates such a spectacle, and I don't even need it. I want him to go back to his duties and stop coddling me."

**“I’ll see what I can do,” Frigga said passively, then she looked over to the corner of the room and narrowed her eyes playfully.**

**“Or...you can tell him yourself. Right now.”**

**Frigga flicked her wrist, and suddenly there was a strange hazy shimmer where she was looking. And out of the shimmer...appeared Loki, looking rather sheepish.**

**“Eh...hello...” he said with an embarrassed wave. Frigga sighed with just a hint of exasperation. **

**“We’ve talked about this, son...”**

Iona grumbled under her breath as she gave Loki a glare. It wasn't really a glare, for there was hardly any heat behind it, but she had to show him that she was upset by his antics.

"There it is, exactly what I was talking about!" she griped to her mother-in-law, pointing a finger at Loki. "Make him go away, please."

She even threw a pillow at him for good measure. He ducked out of its trajectory, as usual, which made Frigga chuckle. 

"He never listens to me. See, he's giving me that smug look! I cannot take it. I'm banishing him from the bedroom if he keeps this up, I swear!"

**“Now now, Iona,” Frigga said softly, patting her hand. “The trouble is...he’s not ** ** _actually_ ** ** here...”**

**Picking up an inkwell from a nearby table, she threw it straight at him. Before Loki could move out of the way, the inkwell went through him, hitting the wall and landing with a clatter on the floor.**

**“You and your illusions, Loki...” she sighed, lifting her hands delicately in front of herself. “Thank you. You’ve made my decision for me. Now, off with you.”**

**Loki looked up at her, shocked. **

**“Wait, what deci—” he managed to get out before Frigga made a complicated gesture with her hands and his incorporeal form suddenly disappeared in a rush of silent wind.**

**Out in his council chambers, Loki shook his head and chuckled as Frigga finished the magic-blocking spell, knowing he would have to actually go back to his chambers if he wanted to hear or see any more of what they were doing. But...he decided against it. Perhaps Iona had earned a bit of privacy. For now.**

Iona still pouted in consternation at Loki's behaviour… while Frigga turned back to her with a winning look.

"He wasn’t really here, but he was  _ still  _ listening in, eavesdropping on our conversation. It's a most annoying habit, you'd agree, right?" Crossing her arms, she sighed as Frigga kept smiling beatifically. "I do love him, for some odd reason. But he's not an easy person. Now, what is this decision you speak of?"

**Frigga pulled a long-chained necklace from a pocket in her dress. She held it up so Iona could see it: gold woven into an intricate pattern, with a blue jewel set inside a heart-shaped pendant.**

**“This belonged to my mother before she gave it to me,” Frigga said, a far off look in her eyes. “I had hoped to give it to my daughter one day, and though it’s not how I had imagined, I ** ** _am _ ** **thrilled to do just that.”**

**With that, she gently set the fine piece of jewelry in Iona’s open palm. It sparkled in the daylight that streamed through the open windows, casting small fairies of light on the walls and ceiling.**

**“Should Loki’s antics ever become more than a handful, simply rub the stone with your thumb. As long as you do so, it will dispel any magic in a wide radius around you, about the size of this room. But use it sparingly. As of now...he doesn’t know you have it,” she said with a wry smile.**

Iona's eyes sparkled with wonder as she held the necklace in her palm.

"Oh, Frigga! Why did you not give it to me  _ earlier _ ? I'd have taught him a right lesson!" She now imagined all sorts of scenarios where she could incapacitate Loki if he acted too wild with his magic. "Thank you all the same."

She leaned over and kissed Frigga's hand with affection. It was something she had been doing for centuries, even as a little girl.

"Now, please put some sense in his head, so that he'd stop being so overbearing. I'm not severely injured, after all."

**“All right, dear. I’ll speak with him. Now, enjoy some peace and quiet - get some rest. You’ll have your darling husband doting over you soon enough; no matter how I convince him, he’ll never stay away from you for long.”**

**With that, she squeezed Iona’s hand one more time, then took her leave to go have a chat with the Allfather.**

**And it was a persuasive chat. In only the way Frigga could, she was able to get Loki to agree to let Iona use the mobility devices she wanted, though there was nothing she could do about him wanting to be at her side at all hours of the day and night.**

**And, frankly...she was thrilled to see him so besotted with Iona. She always had been.**

Surprisingly, Loki stayed away from Iona the whole day, not coming back to the royal chambers till the evening. When he finally returned to her, he had the look of a scolded adolescent.

Just to test him, Iona got up from the bed and used her crutch to walk up to him.

He stood in his place awkwardly, looking as though it pained him to stay put.

"Did you have a fruitful day as king?" she asked him, finally deciding to lean against his chest as she looked up at him. The softness of his gaze had her melting against him.

**Just the feel of her against him - finally, after thinking of nothing but that for the entire day - made him shudder with gratitude. It felt as though a great thirst was quenched as he put his arms gently around her, careful not to pull her off-balance, and kissed her temple softly.**

**“I would have given up being a king for today if only to be at your beck and call, my love,” he murmured into her hair. ”But my ** ** _mother_ ** ** made certain that I understood that I was not to come near you ** ** _or_ ** ** aid you without your consent.”**

**His hands slid over her shoulders and down her arms, and he pressed his forehead to hers, staring down into her eyes.**

**“Would you consent to a kiss?”**

"You have every right to kiss me, husband," she said, nudging his nose with hers. "For  _ that,  _ you needn't ask."

She pressed her lips to his then, combing her fingers through his hair, enjoying the soft purr that he let out at the touch.

**Loki felt the goosebumps spread from his scalp and down his neck and arms as she ran her fingers through his hair. Norns, how did she ** ** _do_ ** ** that? Every time, he simply liquified.**

**He pulled her close, feeling her quickened breath against his lips as they kissed passionately.**

**He only stopped to scoop her into his arms and carry her to the bed, laying her gently on top of the blankets.**

**“Comfortable?” he asked, his face placid and kind...but the husky desire in his voice was unmistakable.**

She nodded, smiling tentatively.

"Come lie with me,  _ Daddy _ . I need to be cuddled, not coddled..." She gave him an impish wink as she extended her arms towards him. "With the special treatment of your...umm... _ magical staff _ ."

**He rolled his eyes and chuckled as he climbed into the bed next to her, spooning her gently from behind. In an instant, their clothes vanished in a sparkle of golden seidr, and his hand slid down her body, resting on her hip. Squeezing it softly, his fingers continued to explore her skin. He took a slow, deep breath, inhaling her scent from her hair, and as soon as her pheromones hit his nostrils, he could practically feel his eyes dilate. His grip became firmer.**

**He wrapped his fingers around her inner thigh, then pulled gently to lift her good leg up and over his thigh, effectively spreading her open beside him. With a deft movement, he brought his hand between her legs and began to caress her, stoking the fire of her arousal.**

**“You’ll tell me if you’re uncomfortable, right baby girl?” He asked in a silky tone, letting his tongue graze the shell of her ear.**

"Y-Yes Daddy, of course I will," she replied with a strained voice, opening her legs further to let him in. "Please hurry, though. I want you inside me..."

She grasped his hand and pushed his fingers inside her, moaning and humping them desperately.

That drew a chuckle from him.

**“Oh, my desperate, delicate dear. You’ll get everything you want and more, just like always...”**

**He pinched her clit between his fingers and rolled the little nub around, eliciting a shriek from Iona that settled into a purr as he let it go and continued to stroke her.**

**He adjusted his position and let his cock rest between her legs, the top soon covered in her lubrication. Then he angled her hips, held her firmly but gently...and pressed himself at her opening.**

**Her warm, slick pussy welcomed him like a blossoming flower, and his throat closed when her heat enveloped him completely.**

"Mmm  _ yes _ ," she sighed happily. Just the feel of him inside her was enough to eliminate all the tension in her body. "Not on a horse, but this will do just fine."

She giggled at the horse part, now finding the memory of their ill-fated bilgesnipe encounter utterly hilarious.

**He could feel her squeeze him when she laughed, and it caused him to chuckle in return, rocking his hips gently and almost ** ** _whimpering _ ** **at the pleasure it released... instead, it came out as a growl.**

**“Yes, we can spare the horse…”**

**He maintained the slow, careful lovemaking, knowing that she was already harmed enough; it hadn’t even been a day since he’d given her the fuck of her life AND she’d been horseback riding AND was injured and traumatized. He wanted her to feel better, and he was going to do it in the best way he knew how - slowly, lovingly, and intimately.**

**As he drew orgasm after orgasm from her, he felt her relax; she drifted in and out of slumber as he pleasured her, all the while fully aware of her injury and careful not to move her in a way that might disturb her. And even after he finally released within her, he stayed joined with her for the rest of the night, sleeping soundly in the knowledge that his queen, ** ** _his_ ** ** Iona, was safe, cared for, and happy.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Test Sunday is here!   
(Also, sorry for the no-show on Thursday. I (Latent-Thoughts) am the culprit again. Due to the continuing problems in my life, I was unable to focus on my writing. The next update will also happen on Sunday. Until my life stabilizes a bit, we will stick to weekly updates for this story. It won't be so for long, though, we promise.)  



	31. Insecurity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Iona are faced with an uncomfortable situation as his Name Day celebration approaches, and their marriage and love are tested.

Iona was preparing the final guest list for the upcoming grand feast in the palace. It was for the occasion of Loki's Name Day, and hence, the list ran long. Nearly everyone wanted to attend the new Allfather's Name Day feast, the  _ first  _ Name Day feast held in his honour after he was coronated.

Iona's ladies-in-waiting were all chattering away excitedly. They had some gossip or other at the ready about nearly every noble in Asgard, Vanaheim and Alfheim.

Iona shook her head at some of the wilder ones. Some of them she knew not to be true, but she didn't correct the ladies. She was far too busy coordinating the guest list.

"So, has Lord Bjorn sent word that he's attending? I didn't see any missives from him," she said with a frown, checking with the names in the list. "I thought he'd attend, since I remember him favouring the King's reign when there was a lot of strife about his ascension in the court."

Some of the ladies made odd faces at her comment. 

"What is the matter?" she asked them pointedly. She didn't have the time for dramatics. Not today, at least.

"Well, Lord Bjorn is probably enjoying his second honeymoon," one of them, Ragnhilde, replied. 

Iona smiled at that. "Well, from what I know of him, he does indeed love his dear wife a lot. I'm not surprised."

Her comment was met with  _ pin-drop  _ silence. 

She looked up from the guest list and found the ladies staring at her with varying degrees of horror on their faces. 

"What? What happened?"

Ragnhilde cleared her throat then, her eyes downcast. "My queen, he is not with his wife."

Iona gasped. "Please explain, Ragnhilde."

"He has taken a mistress, my queen. He's enjoying his honeymoon with her, not Lady Dagny."

Iona was... horrified. This was such a shock... "But... But Lord Bjorn doted on his wife. I remember seeing them together only last year!"

Ragnhilde shrugged, as if to say that she didn't know what happened between them. "He has taken a mistress recently, and Lady Dagny is mostly hiding in their estate these days."

How had she not noticed Dagny’s absence in the court lately? Perhaps because she was always so engrossed in Loki. 

"I see."

The murmurings of gossip grew a bit solemn then, as Iona remained lost in her own musings. She had believed that Bjorn and Dagny shared a very deep love for each other. The new developments in their marriage surely stated otherwise...

Could love,  _ intense _ love, fade so easily? 

Inevitably, her thoughts drifted back to Loki, and how she now believed that they were both bonded by love and marital bliss. 

Could their love also fade?

Would he dare to take a mistress at some point in their marriage?

She shook her head to dispel those ominous thoughts from her mind. It wasn't wise of her to think such foolish things.

Just as she finished with the final guest list, she heard the door to her sitting room open, and Loki's handsome face popped in, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

Iona sighed as their eyes met, her heart fluttering. Norns, she would never be able to handle him taking another lover… 

_ NEVER _ .

**“Good afternoon, ladies,” he smiled charismatically, and all of Iona’s entourage tittered and bowed their heads. The same women who had mocked and chided him less than a year ago were now MORE than happy to coquettishly bat their eyes and slyly grin at him at every opportunity. But, in his honest opinion...none of them held a candle to Iona. Her soft skin, her amber eyes, her gorgeous flowing hair...her wit, her sharp mind, her sense of humor...and her sweet, sweet cunt. Norns, just thinking about it gave him pause as he looked at her, his smile widening.**

**But the positive attention from her ladies certainly made his ego feel inflated...and he would hate for them to feel unappreciated.**

**“Odin’s spirit must be truly generous today, to bring so many beautiful women into one place for me to behold.”**

**His comment was received exactly as expected, with coy giggles and surreptitious gazes.**

** _Nailed it!_ **

**He walked over to Iona, giving her a sweet peck on the cheek. “How does your planning go, my love? Have the Nine Realms decided that my Name Day celebration is worth attending?”**

For some reason, the response of her ladies to Loki's rather over-the-top greeting rubbed Iona the wrong way. 

Some of them, the younger ones especially, were practically mooning over him. 

Much to her own surprise, she grasped Loki's lapels and pulled him down for a proper kiss. A mere peck on the cheek was not enough, even though it was the polite thing to do in the company of others.

**“** ** _Mphf!_ ** **”**

**Loki was surprised by the kiss, and was nearly thrown off-balance by his eager wife. But he quickly recovered, closing his eyes and enjoying the feel of her lips on his before she loosened her grip and allowed him to right himself.**

**“Oh...going well then, I take it?”**

"As well as planning for a big feast  _ can _ go," she answered, rolling up the finalized guest list and throwing it at one of the ladies. 

She rose from her chair and grasped his hand, her eyes searching his... what for, she wasn't certain. Perhaps a validation? A confirmation of sorts?

He gave her a smile in return, open and still very full of mischief. 

She wanted to bite those smiling lips, reduce him to a moaning, writhing mess in front of all these women... show them that he belonged to her.

Norns... she was really shaken by such thoughts. This was all very  _ odd _ . She shouldn't be behaving in such a reckless manner, she was the Allmother, after all.

Swallowing hard, she tried her best to rein in her wild thoughts and give a proper response to his question.

"Umm... the guest list is final, my lord husband. And yes, nearly everyone wants to attend the celebrations, for you're their new Allfather now. They are eager to meet you."

**“Excellent. I’m glad to hear it,” he said, though he was quite distracted by her actions and tone.**

**She was behaving strangely indeed, rather more possessive than usual, and the latent lust in her eyes (which he was quite accustomed to at this point) was mixed with an underlying nervousness, the source of which he did not know.**

**But, as her husband, it was his duty to find out. Though it was obvious she didn’t want her ladies-in-waiting about anymore.**

**“Iona, would you be at a point where I might steal you away for the afternoon? There are some things I’d like to discuss with you that are of a more...** ** _private_ ** ** nature...”**

**He pretended to be very interested in his fingernails and bored by the activity around him, but he slyly met her eyes briefly to convey what he had in mind...**

Iona caught the look in his eyes, and that was all she needed to practically shoo all of her ladies away.

"All of you, off you go now," she ordered, waving her hands at the ladies. "Get about ten copies of the guest list made, and then hand them over to the people I had earlier mentioned. Don't forget  _ any _ of them, especially the royal chef."

The ladies all got up in a storm of skirts and robes, some of them even smirking at Iona as they left her chambers. 

_ Hmmm... cheeky maidens... _

Once they were alone, she simply turned towards Loki and literally attacked him with an embrace.

**With yet another surprised “** ** _mphf!_ ** **”, Loki caught her and was barely able to slow their fall to keep them from crashing to the ground. Her lips and hands were all OVER him, and while he quite enjoyed her enthusiasm, his curiosity burned.**

**“What in the ** ** _Nine_ ** ** is going on with you, darling? Need some relief from the stress of planning the feast?” He laughed as he kissed her, nuzzling her cheek with his nose. “Not that I’m complaining...I’d be happy to assist in that...”**

She simply nodded, not wanting to go into an in-depth explanation for her mostly silly thoughts. 

"It's a pain, but it's also a labour of love," she mumbled against his jaw, her hands working quickly to unbuckle his armour. "And... I haven't seen you since morning."

Her eager hands slipped underneath his tunic as he removed his long jacket, splaying all over his bare skin possessively. 

_ This  _ was hers.  _ All  _ hers. No one could take it away from her. She had EARNED him...

Also, her mind suggested, she needed to keep him interested in her, lest he began to have any thoughts about another... so she needed to seduce him regularly. 

"Please take me, husband...I burn for you," she moaned, biting his neck.

It wasn't at all a lie...

**Loki almost yelped when she nipped the sensitive skin on his neck - Norns, she was in a mood today! And he had already taken her once that morning...and the night before...and that time in the kitchen after lunch yesterday...**

**He feared that she may now truly be an addict.**

**But the tell-tale tone in her voice belied a deeper concern. He could read her better than anyone else (and she had always been easy to interpret...lying was not among her greatest strengths), and judging by the way she was behaving, he had an idea what might be the issue.**

**“Of course, dear. I’m all yours...no one else can have me.”**

**When she looked up at him like he’d caught her stealing a chocolate from the sweets cupboard, he grinned knowingly.**

**“Is THAT what this is all about?”**

She felt the heat rise to her cheeks at his very accurate assessment of her distress.  _ Damn him...  _

"I... umm... not really." Suddenly feeling self-conscious, she abandoned all the plans to seduce him and hid her red face into his chest. "Why would I think something like that...?"

**Loki’s eyes rolled upwards as he held her to his chest, still very much enjoying the feel of her hands on his bare skin.**

**“Oh, just a hunch really...an ** ** _inkling_ ** **...” A low chuckle escaped his chest and he stroked her hair. “Though I’m certain Lord Bjorn’s recent interests have no doubt been a topic of conversation amongst your ladies...”**

**Her embarrassed little groan was all the answer he needed, and he simply smiled and continued to pet her hair soothingly.**

**“Come now, darling. Surely you must know I’m as keen to the court gossip as anyone. Particularly when it comes to relationships that might be...advantageous to leverage under the right circumstances.”**

She remained quiet, her thoughts swirling about like eddies in her head. Feeling rather embarrassed about her behaviour now, she simply hugged him tightly. 

So, he knew about her concerns. It would mean that he'd be sensitive about it from now onwards, and surely not let his eyes or his thoughts stray towards anyone else. 

She had to believe that he wouldn't be like Lord Bjorn.

**“Now...” he said, lifting her chin gently with his finger so her eyes met his. He leaned forward and kissed her, softly at first, then more deeply, until she was reciprocating eagerly and running her fingers through his hair in that way he loved. He felt his cock harden, and he grinned against her, breaking their kiss.**

**“...where were we...?”**

* * *

_ \--Two weeks later-- _

Asgard was ready to play host to the visitors from other realms. Loki's Name Day celebrations were beginning, and already, the guests were pouring into the Capital.

Even the extensive royal family and nobility of Alfheim was arriving early in their eagerness to interact with the Allfather.

Iona had to hastily organize a little welcoming feast in their honour. Managing things in the palace was a hectic task these days. 

As a result, she had grown rather neglectful towards herself, often forgetting herself in the midst of planning and arranging social gatherings on the king's behalf. A handmaiden had once caught her leaving her rooms without her sandals. Poor woman was in outrage throughout the day.

Anyhow, the feast was beginning now, and Iona was hopeful of it going through smoothly. She was present to welcome the royals, standing right next to Loki, as they filtered into the grand feasting hall.

Goodness, the Alfan royal house had grown exponentially since her last visit, with as many as fifty people in the whole contingent.

**Loki graciously welcomed every noble from Alfheim with a generous smile, grateful he had taken the time to put together that name-remembering spell. Even Odin himself hadn’t been able to address each of the huge contingent personally, and he could see that the extra attention was having the desired effect - the nobles and royals smiled and tittered as they walked away, feeling especially well-received. Loki grinned at Iona, his full ceremonial armor freshly polished and glinting in the firelight of the torches.**

**“Well done, my dear...” he said quietly, leaning down to her. “Quite the reception you’ve pulled off.”**

**He was about to go with her into the feasting hall when one last Alfans approached...and his jaw nearly dropped.**

**He knew her, but he hadn’t seen her since she was a gangly youth. To say that she’d ** ** _filled out_ ** ** would be an understatement - her body was as perfect as any he’d ever seen! She wore a light, white, form-fitting gown that flittered at her feet while she walked, and her hips swayed with just enough restraint to avoid being ostensibly scandalous.**

**She approached him cooly, her long platinum hair unadorned and free-flowing down to her waist, as was the custom for available Alfan maidens, and her silver eyes met his with a smile.**

**“Your majesty,” she said, her voice high and soft like the ringing of tiny bells. “It is a pleasure to see you again. You look well.”**

**“Adelia...” he said, trying to gather his thoughts but finding it difficult with all his blood rushing away from his brain to attend to a different body part. He swallowed thickly. “My, you have...ah...** ** _grown_ ** ** since I last saw you...”**

Iona watched the interaction between her husband and the Aflan maiden, her eyes sharp and keen. She was a typical beauty of their kind... almost perfect, conventionally speaking.

And it was all well and good, for beauty was a common thing among the realms of gods... 

But the maiden, born to a pair of high nobles and close with the royal family, was not simply a beauty greeting the king with appropriate manners. No, she was swaying her hips, biting her plump lower lip, and giving Loki a full head to toe regard while she spoke to him.

And Loki... Iona couldn't believe her eyes.

He was quite blatantly staring at her. It wasn't a curious regard, it was a lustful perusal. 

Iona could see in him all the tell-tale signs of arousal. And she saw  _ red _ . 

He didn't even address her properly, by her station! Simply took her name, as though they were close friends!

And Adelia... she didn't even acknowledge Iona, as if she wasn't standing right there with Loki. 

Iona wished to snatch her by her silvery hair and throw her out of the palace...

"Lady Adelia," she spoke evenly, her tone cool and detached as she linked her arm with Loki's and grasped his hand, digging her nails into his palm. "We're pleased to receive you. Please proceed into the hall, there are all kinds of Asgardian delicacies lined up for you. I'd love for you to partake in them."

**“Indeed. I have been looking forward to partaking in ** ** _all _ ** **of the delights that Asgard has to offer...” Her eyes stayed on Loki as she spoke, but she did turn to Iona once her very insinuative sentence was complete.**

**“Thank you for your hospitality, Allmother. I can only imagine how much work you have done to prepare these celebrations - it must have been exhausting. I can see you have spent much of your energy in its planning and execution. You look...tired.”**

**Adelia turned back to Loki, who was still agog and stuck between the way his body was reacting and the screaming voice in his head telling him that Iona was going to castrate him if he didn’t pull himself together ** ** _immediately_ ** **.**

**“It would be my pleasure to entertain you should your wife need to rest, my king. It is the least I can do, and we have so much to catch up on. I’ll wait for you at the feast.”**

**With that, she shimmied off, and despite his best efforts...he couldn’t help himself. Loki watched her as she left, and NORNS that pert little ass was otherworldly! Somewhere in his mind, he assumed Iona wouldn’t see him...**

**...until he looked back at her, and he knew that that part of his mind was very wrong. Iona looked like she was about to slice his throat with his own helm.**

**He chuckled nervously. “Ah...shall we?” he said, voice crackling with discomfort, and he made to lead her into the feasting hall towards their table.**

Iona pursed her lips and walked into the hall with him, trying her best to keep the facade of a friendly, welcoming queen and host, even though she actually wanted to kick Loki in the  _ royal  _ sack.

"So, how do you know Lady Adelia?" she asked casually, pretending to smile at the guests as they settled into their seats and waved them over. "She seemed  _ awfully _ familiar with you, and you with her..."

**Having had a moment to collect himself as they walked, Loki felt a bit more in control as he sat, grateful that his ** ** _Little _ ** **Loki had behaved itself long enough to hide behind the tablecloth.**

**“We spent summers together in Vanaheim when I was growing up. But that was centuries ago...I hardly know her anymore. I haven’t seen her since long before, well...the ‘unpleasantness.’” he said, using the casual term for everything that had happened leading up to his coronation.**

**He turned and looked deeply into Iona’s eyes, trying to comfort her with his gaze alone. “I know what you’re thinking, darling. And I can tell you, honestly, I have no interest in her in that way.”**

**...he hoped she believed him.**

"I see, husband," she said, still with the false smile plastered on her face. Surreptitiously, her hand slipped over to his crotch, hidden from all under the banquet table. 

She glared at him with the fire of a thousand suns while she cupped his very engorged manhood. 

_ Lying bastard... _

In that moment, she dearly wanted to grab a knife and remove his ‘ _ pillar and stones _ ’ altogether. He was just...  _ lying  _ to her face. Lying so well...

"Then this must be the result of some fantasy you were having of me, hmm?"

She removed her hand immediately, feeling disgusted. To even think that she wasn't the reason for his carnal reaction... it was twisting her thoughts and sending her reeling into despair.

Once again, thoughts of Lord Bjorn and Lady Dagny assaulted her. They had been in love,  _ so  _ in love... and now? Now, he had cast her aside for the next pretty thing that had crossed his path...

Her eyes strayed over to Adelia, who was seated down the table with her parents. She was looking right at Loki. While biting into a delicacy in a most salacious manner.

Suddenly, Iona had lost all her appetite. 

She wished to leave the feast altogether, and perhaps hide in her royal chambers. At least, till her murderous desires calmed a bit.

Alas, she was the queen, and there was a burden for her to bear - she had to put aside her personal issues in order to take care of the kingdom in all her capacities. She couldn't abandon her duties...

**Loki gulped when Iona grabbed his precious jewels, barely able to maintain his countenance of calm.**

**“Sweetheart...” he growled through clenched teeth after she’d released his most prized possession. “Surely you understand the physiological reaction to stimulation regardless of desire for that stimulation to have a bodily effect?” He used ** ** _all _ ** **his big words, trying to assure her that his current state was not a conscious act on his part; it was purely natural. But he doubted words would be enough to keep her from mauling the next attractive noble to approach him.**

**Which, unfortunately, was a theory that was severely tested as the night progressed.**

**It seemed almost every noble that approached him - female AND male - was flirting unabashedly with him. Under different circumstances, it would have been quite enjoyable, and would likely have led to a legendary afterparty that court gossips would discuss for centuries to come. But with Iona fuming silently at his side, it was just awkward and strained. **

**So much for starting his Name Day celebrations on a good note...**

**He kept up his airs and graces throughout the evening, but he desperately wanted the feast to end. Who knew getting all the attention he ever wanted could be so...uncomfortable?**

Iona felt as though her anger was going to come out of her like a raging ball of fire. And consume everyone who dared to flirt with her husband right in front of her.

And what more, Loki tried to assuage her ire by making convoluted comments about stimulation and desire. She wanted to punch him in his beautiful face...

All these nobles... all of them were opportunists, she knew that much, flocking to him like flies to honey. It was written in their eyes - they wanted all the perks of being the new Allfather's consorts. She assumed that they were expecting him to take on a few lovers now, considering that he was a young king and had a great carnal appetite.

That thought alone made her blanch. 

What if Loki indeed wanted to have different lovers? What would she do then? What  _ could  _ she do?

For all her ire, she knew that she basically couldn't do much if he decided to be such a slime and a wretch. 

All she could possibly do was to never share his bed again... which... the thought alone made her feel like her heart was cracking.

Ugh... All these negative thoughts were making her feel sick. 

Hence, as the feast winded down, she simply left Loki's side and tried to retire early, citing tiredness. He was free to receive all the inappropriate attention that he wanted…

She trudged back to their chambers with heavy steps, trying her best to act stoic and unbothered. Well, if he was going to take another lover, she was going to cut him from her life. She wouldn't be a spectator to this sport.

Changing her clothes quickly, she made for the passageway that led to her separate royal chambers (which she hadn’t used till date), not at all expecting to see Loki standing at the end of it, his arms crossed over his chest.

She gasped in surprise and stopped dead in her tracks.

**“Iona, darling. Where do you think you’re going?” Loki’s expression was that of a lion, but his heart hurt like a lonely puppy’s, and it was obvious in his voice.**

**All night - all** ** _ Norns forsaken _ ** **night - he’d behaved himself. He’d brushed off all advances, from the most subtle to the almost-embarrassingly direct. Had this been a year ago, he would currently be cavorting with half a dozen naked, beautiful aristocrats in his private chambers, and there would likely be ** ** _all manner_ ** ** of debauchery.**

**Instead, he was standing here, in a dark, quiet passageway, bearing the hot iron gaze of his pissed-off wife.**

** _So...this is love, hm?_ **

Iona recovered herself quickly from the shock of seeing him here, especially when she remembered how he had reacted to that girl, _ Adelia's _ advances earlier in the evening.

"Where do you  _ think  _ I'm going?" she asked, her tone rough and accusative. "I'm sleeping in my royal chambers."

She walked past him as he stared at her in confusion, trying to look all innocent now.

"You're free to sleep alone in your bed. Or with whatever company you were planning to snatch from the feast tonight. I'm in no mood for these games."

**Loki burned with indignation, the hurt melding with irritation and anger. His shoulders tensed as she passed him, and he exhaled heavily.**

**“I’m not bringing anyone else to bed...not without your permission,” he said matter-of-factly, seemingly ignoring her shocked and infuriated look. “And I’ll have you know, I wasn’t flirting with ** ** _anyone_ ** **. You’ve let this situation with Lord Bjorn and Lady Dagny get to your head, and it’s affecting your sense of judgement.”**

**He turned to face her. **

**“Now will you please come to bed? I’d like to put this night behind us.”**

Iona's mind ignored the rest of his bland explanations, choosing to hook itself to what he had said about bringing anyone else to bed...

"My  _ permission _ ?" She seethed, her breasts rising and falling rapidly as her breathing became heavy with ire. "My  _ PERMISSION _ ? Are you even listening to yourself?!  _ Norns _ ! How could you even  _ think  _ to suggest that? Is this.. is this something that your perverted mind came up with this evening, or was it always your plan to bring  _ others  _ into our marriage bed?"

She stepped up to him and literally shoved him to get him out of her chambers then, using all of her strength. He probably wasn't expecting that, for he stumbled back and hit a wall.

"If this is what you think our marriage ought to be, then I'm sorry to disappoint you,  _ sire _ , I'm not going to give you permission for such debauchery... not that you'd care for it."

**He said nothing, just glared at her as he pushed himself off the wall, pure ice in his gaze.**

**“Fine, Iona,” he said quietly, flatly. “Go to bed.”**

**He stormed back down the passageway and back to their chambers, changed into his bedclothes with a rush of magic, and angrily climbed into the bed.**

** _That absolute CUNT! Evil, stubborn bitch. What in the NINE is wrong with that woman?!_ **

**Loki fumed, tossing and turning, unable to cease the furious dialogue churning through his mind. If only he HAD brought someone else to bed, then maybe he’d be able to relax enough to sleep!**

**Then...he had a thought. It stopped him, and a mischievous smile spread across his face. Oh...he’d find a way to relax...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TEST SUNDAY! We're so thrilled to share this chapter, ya'll. Hope the angst wasn't too bad. ⚆ _ ⚆


	32. Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iona's patience runneth thin...  
  


**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

Iona closed the door to her chambers and then slumped onto the floor, tears flowing down her eyes. Her worst nightmare regarding her marriage was coming true... and there was nothing she could do to stop it from happening.

He was going to cast her aside... 

He was going to bring in a lover... 

It was just like her first time with that Alfan lord... all over again. She felt so...  _ expendable _ , so easily replaceable. In the back of her mind, she knew that she needed reassurances that this wasn't actually happening, but Loki was no longer here to give them to her. 

Could she really blame him, for she had literally pushed him away?

She didn't know for how long she sat on the floor, letting her tears flow till they ran dry. Then, she dragged herself to her bedroom and tried to sleep.

Alas, sleep didn't come. 

After spending another hour trying to drift into slumber, she got up again, growling in annoyance.  _ Damn Loki, damn him to Helheim and back! That bastard... _

She had become so used to sleeping with him, so used to inhaling his heady scent in bed, that now, she was unable to catch a wink of sleep without him.

Well, if she was going to suffer, she wanted to make his night a torment too. 

With that irate thought drumming through her head, she grabbed her dagger and quickly crept over to their chambers, back to their bedroom, and perhaps, ready to catch him with another person in their bed.

_ Ready to stab a bitch... _

And... as she entered the bedroom and laid her eyes on her husband in bed, she felt as though all the wind was suddenly knocked out of her lungs.

Even with the intent of stabbing and revenge, she hadn't  _ actually  _ been prepared to see another person there, in bed with him, cuddling up with her husband with easy familiarity.

Iona gasped, and the dagger slipped from her grasp, clattering to the floor loudly.

**Loki quickly disengaged from his current partner in bed and shouted as he heard the loud clang of metal. “Iona!? It’s not what it looks like!”**

**He sat up hastily, and right next to him...was Loki. They both grinned with the same expression, and adjusted themselves in mirror synchronicity to face her.**

**“I got lonely,” one of them said.**

**“And you said I couldn’t bring anyone else to bed,” said the other.**

**“So I invited myself,” they said simultaneously.**

**Loki hoped it was as deeply unsettling as he tried to make it. It was hard to suppress the laughter.**

**“Would you like to join us, darling?”**

Iona just stared at them in shock, rendered completely immobile. Her hands trembled as waves of sheer incredulity washed over her.

"What.... what even... Loki?" she whispered, her voice weak and barely audible even to herself.

**Loki stood and walked to her, stark naked, leaving his clone sitting on the bed, smiling beatifically.**

**His cock bobbed happily in its nest of curls, as though it were greeting her.**

**“I followed your rules, sweetling. No one but you and me in our marriage bed. So come on. I can’t sleep without you...and I know you can’t either.”**

Iona gaped at him, and then at the double of him, and then back at him. Her eyes were wide like saucers.

Then, as he moved closer and closer to her, her shocked gaze drifted to his very obvious arousal. 

"What even  _ are  _ you?" she shrieked, picking up her dagger again and pointing it at him. "You - You’re making me mad!"

**Loki smirked, seeing her dagger, remembering what she did with it the last time she’d threatened to cut him...**

**“I’m whatever you want me to be, Iona. Faithful? Of course. Dominant? When you’re in the mood. Multiplied?”**

**He turned back to his double, and they grinned at each other.**

**“As many as you’d like,” he said as he turned back towards her. He moved within arms reach and gently took her hand that held the dagger. Bringing the sharp Nornirstál metal to his throat, he gazed at her lustfully as he challenged her, the blade caressing his skin.**

**“Or perhaps you’re feeling darker than all that...you were in such a mood at the feast. Was it ** ** _Lady Adelia_ ** ** that troubled you so? Or the three hundred ** ** _other _ ** **nobles lathering me with their ** ** _wanton _ ** **attention?”**

She struggled to free her hand, but then grew afraid that the dagger would nick him, leading to her stopping midway. 

"Is this  _ not  _ because of the attention you received?" she asked, pointedly looking at his aroused flesh, which was now prodding her abdomen. " _ Especially _ from Adelia? Do you think I didn't notice?"

Her eyes then drifted beyond his looming frame, catching the sight of his double. Exactly the same as him. 

The double winked at her, and she pried her eyes away from him at once.  _ Rude, salacious bastard... _

**“Oh, this is certainly not from her, or any of the guests, for that matter. Your furious countenance made sure of that - I find it quite difficult these days to become more than physically aroused without your...** ** _permission_ ** **.”**

**He smirked at her angry reaction to that loaded word.**

**His double rose from the bed and began to approach them, and Loki smiled pruriently. “This is from ** ** _him_ ** **, keeping me company while you were brooding in your chambers. And I dare say he’s quite interested in showing you what he can do. What we ** ** _both_ ** ** can do...”**

**The double came up behind her, just as nude and excited as the original, and placed his hands gently on her hips, kissing the soft skin where her neck met her shoulder.**

**“Are you feeling better, sweetling?” Loki crooned, watching himself making moves on his wife. My, they certainly made an ** ** _attractive _ ** **couple...**

"I... I... what are you doing?" she squeaked as his double began to suck on her neck, pressing himself against her bottom.

She could feel his arousal prodding her through her satin nightdress. And the Loki in the front wasn't helping the matters either, pressing himself to her front.

_ Norns, what was this madness? _

"Loki..." she gasped, almost dropping her dagger again. "This is... I'm not... I don't know..."

She spoke in broken sentences, her hands flailing as she was all but sandwiched between her...  _ husbands _ ?

**Loki took the dagger from her easily now, quickly sending it magically back to its home in her nightstand.**

**“There, darling. No need to be scared.” He felt like he was trying to comfort a terrified, trembling animal...before it became his prey. **

**He stroked her cheek and looked into her fearful, nervous eyes.**

**“This is only for you, my wife. No one else.” He could feel her starting to relax, even if only a little...perhaps if he pushed her ** ** _just _ ** **a bit more… “Hmm, would you say I’m skilled at kissing? I’ve always wondered...”**

**With that, he pressed forward, grabbed his double by the hair, and brought their lips together with Iona still wedged between them.**

For the second time in a single night, she gaped again, staring at her husband in fascination as he kissed  _ himself _ .

A whimper escaped her as they deepened the kiss, squishing her further between their hard bodies. Quite helpless, she simply pressed herself against Loki's chest and gazed at their locked lips in awe. It was a wonder, and it was making her feel funny in her belly.... and also, between her legs.

**He ** ** _was _ ** **a good kisser! And the feeling of Iona squirming against him was VERY nice...why had he not done this before?**

**Well, probably because he didn’t want to scare her or overwhelm her. But tonight...maybe he ** ** _did_ ** **.**

**As he continued making-out with himself, the hand that wasn’t grasping the clone’s raven locks began to fondle her breasts, running his thumb over her already-stiff nipple. He made certain that she could see his tongue dipping in and out of the double’s mouth, and he moaned huskily, hoping that she might grow jealous of the attention he was paying to himself and want to participate. But if she just wanted to watch for now, so be it.**

Just as she was trying to recover from the state of shock that Loki's lewd display had put her in, he began to grope her breasts. 

That made her snap.

Pushing them both apart, she pouted as she took several steps away from them, turning her face to hide her rising blush. "This is all something of a  _ sport  _ to you... I-I don't know why you're doing this. This is... insane."

**The Lokis wrapped their arms around each other’s waists and watched her, the clone resting his head on the original’s shoulder.**

**“What’s wrong, Iona? I’m just trying to do what you wanted...”**

She turned around and glared at them both, hands resting on her hips. How dare he put the blame on her!

"So you're going to  _ mock  _ me for expecting that you'd stay loyal to me? I wonder what might happen if I happen to get propositions from other people... "

She tapped her chin as an idea began to form in her head. 

"If this is your attitude now, I'm sure you'll understand if I flirted back and opened my arms to them? After all, you're constantly reminding me how I'm limiting your choices here. What a cruel bitch I am, no?"

**Instead of getting angry, he simply raised an eyebrow and smirked.**

**“Well, as long as you’re willing to share, I see no reason why a bit of extra-marital participation would be off the table...”**

**He knew he was treading on thin ice, but she had been ** ** _such _ ** **a bitch today...he was enjoying getting a bit of revenge on her for assuming the worst of him.**

She clenched her fists so hard, she was surprised that her nails didn't draw blood. And then she began to rant... letting out all of her ire at once.

"No, I'm not  _ sharing _ anything with you, you perverted cad! You can enjoy... playing with yourself all you want! What more, invite that Alfan strumpet as well, for she was  _ this  _ close to draping herself all over you,  _ while  _ I was standing  _ right  _ there. Norns, the humiliations I have to endure for love--"

She stopped suddenly, almost biting her tongue. Oh no... she hadn't just admitted to loving him while berating him...?  _ Ugh _ ....

Her face burned and her eyes widened.

Would the humiliation never end...?

** _Ohhh_ ** **... his eyebrows shot to his hairline at that remark. The clone disappeared, and he clothed himself in his bed clothes magically. **

**So this was more than petty banter and jealousy...she needed reassurance, comfort...**

**And the double could always come back later.**

**“I see...” he said, approaching her cautiously, reaching out and putting a gentle hand on her back. “Iona, after all we’ve been through, after all I’ve shared with you, do you honestly believe I could be this way with ** ** _anyone_ ** ** else?”**

She hid her burning face in his chest as he pulled her close. Her emotions were all over the place, and her mind was in chaos. At least having him hold her gave her a kind of anchor.

"I just... don't know," she mumbled. "You were clearly affected by her, and... I've been abandoned before. I don't know how to trust my fate. Thinking of Bjorn and Dagny only made things worse. And your biting tongue just confuses me sometimes..."

**“Yes,” he chuckled softly, though not unkindly. “It has that effect on people.”**

**He held her firmly, stroking her hair and her back, proving with his body and his words that he belonged to her and her alone. “Pushing boundaries is in my nature, sweetling. I AM always testing you, even if it’s not always intentional. I can understand how...frazzling that could be.”**

**He lifted her chin lovingly, meeting her eyes. “I love you, Iona. I’ve said it to no one but you, and I never shall. I am yours, now, forever, and always. My body will do what it has always done - regardless of how I try to control it...” He smirked a bit, though apologetically. “But my heart belongs to ** ** _you_ ** **.”**

She rose on her tiptoes and kissed him slowly, spreading her hands across his chest. She hoped that her actions conveyed her feelings well, for words were quite obviously failing her. 

"I love you, too," she stated softly, once she pulled away, her eyes a wee bit wet. "Just... don't tease me like this...  _ ever _ . I cannot share you, even in my thoughts or jests. Or else, you'd be responsible for the murder of all those flirty bitches by my hands."

**Well that did it. He broke down laughing, imagining a furious Iona chasing all the Alfan nobles out of the Palace with her dagger and screaming about how the king belonged to her and her alone.**

**“Very well, darling. No sharing with anyone else...though I do hope you’ll make an exception for my poor double. He was very much looking forward to an evening with the two of us...”**

She gasped and blushed all over again. 

"I've never... I don't know how. How do you even  _ do  _ that?" she asked in a whisper, her hands grasping his tunic tightly at his chest. Suddenly, she was full of nerves again. "Is that not a most scandalous thing to do?"

**“More scandalous than an affair?” He smiled, running his hand up and down her arm comfortingly. “No one else would know, or even be involved. There are no other sorcerers in Asgard powerful enough to create a corporeal clone, so you and I would be the only ones who even know it’s possible. I’ll put up all the wards you want...it will be our secret.”**

She giggled at his conspiratorial tone, biting her lip in anticipation. Then, her head tilted slightly as she looked up at him with genuine curiosity.

"I've heard of the debaucheries that often happen in the privacy of royal chambers sometimes. Is this similar to that? Would you... um... take turns with me? Ragnhilde once told me about a princess who used to take several lovers to her bedchambers. She was from Midgard, I believe."

Her hand slipped underneath his tunic and cupped his manhood as she spoke.

**He closed his eyes and practically purred at her touch. All the back and forth with this woman was utterly delicious - he’d never get enough of her.**

**“** ** _Ragnhilde_ ** **? You think ** ** _Ragnhilde _ ** **knows more about the deviant sexual goings-on in the royal chambers than ME? Oh, Iona, I’m disappointed in you...”**

**His hands began to explore her body, touching her breasts, her stomach, her neck, sliding her clothing off slowly.**

**“I’ve not heard of whatever-it-is that Midgardian princesses do, but dear...you are the ** ** _queen_ ** **. If you would like to take turns, or take both at once, that’s entirely up to you. I am at your service...”**

**From behind, gentle hands took her hips in a familiar way. “** ** _We_ ** ** are at your service, dear...”**

She shivered as his double began to caress her too. Caught between four exploring hands, she was almost at a loss for words.

"But I don't know - oh  _ Norns _ !" She moaned as one of them bit her neck and the other pinched her nipples. "Guide me? I want to do everything with you..."

She had wanted to say more, but she choked on her words when she was spanked from behind.

**“Oh yes...” he said softly. “It would be my genuine pleasure.”**

**“** ** _Our_ ** ** pleasure,” the double corrected.**

**Loki rolled his eyes. “Yes, fine, ** ** _our _ ** **pleasure...” he grumbled, dropping down to pick up Iona’s legs while the double held her torso. Together, they carried her to the bed and set her down gently, the double climbing up and allowing her to rest against his chest. Loki stayed between her thighs, looking up at his queen and himself.**

**“Enjoy the show...” He smiled, then dove towards her center. Meanwhile, the double cupped her breasts, squeezing and teasing them as he watched Loki feasting on her.**

With the double holding her up and against him, she had a clear view of Loki between her legs. She trembled as he devoured her, her hands grasping the forearms of the double as he played with her nipples.

"This is... overwhelming," she moaned, almost pulling away from the double as she lost control of her body. Loki’s tongue was working its dark magic on her...

The double held her fast, though, keeping her in place as Loki literally drank from her. Loki even gave her a wink as she helplessly squeezed her thighs around his shoulders. 

Her breath was uneven now, coming and going in short bursts, making her breasts heave with each pull of air.

**“Yes...isn’t it wonderful?” the double growled into her ear. “Look at what he’s doing to you, sliding his tongue along your slick pussy, pleasuring you with his mouth while I fondle your breasts. Quite the situation you’ve found yourself in...whoever thought a ** ** _lady _ ** **such as yourself would give in to these wanton desires? It’s positively shocking...”**

**The double chuckled at the flush of red that covered her chest and cheeks, while Loki watched from below. Norns, he could almost taste the heat of her blush.**

**They continued slowly, allowing her to grow accustomed to the dual stimulation of their tongues being used in vastly different ways...**

Oh by Valhalla... she was going to be dead. He was murmuring such filthy things in her ear, she wasn't sure how they hadn't started bleeding in outrage.

Soft mewls escaped her as the double lowered his head to suckle and bite her neck, his hands still plucking at her nipples, keeping them stiff. All this while Loki continued his leisurely assault on her sex, his wicked tongue gliding over her clit repeatedly.

"I'm... I  _ AM  _ a lady," she whispered heatedly, arching her back as she felt herself nearing her climax. "But I'm being corrupted..."

**“You’ve ** ** _been _ ** **corrupted, Iona,” The double gave her nipples an especially powerful squeeze while Loki sucked her clit and flicked it with his tongue, drawing the orgasm out of her.**

**“And you’ve loved every moment, haven’t you? Remember the skiff, on the way to our honeymoon? You could have been caught at any moment… Oooh, and you’ve mated with a ** ** _Jotun_ ** **...you filthy trollop. Imagine what the nobles of the court would say if they knew. Or if they could see you now? Writhing in pleasure with your husband and his twin, coming on his tongue...like the ** ** _wanton whore_ ** ** that you are!”**

Those  _ filthy, scandalous _ words of his... they pushed her towards her climax as much as his touch and his mouth. She came intensely and quickly, shaking her head as he kept whispering these dirty things in her ear. 

And it didn't look like he planned to relent. Norns, it was something very unexpected for her. Why did the filthy words make her come like that?

She panted as she went boneless in her husband and his twin's arms, her body still riding the peak of pleasure.

**“Well done,” Loki said, wiping his mouth of her glistening slick and and crawling up so that he and the double had the flustered queen between them. “I had wondered if she would respond to dirty talking, and it seems to be effective, wouldn’t you say?”**

**“Absolutely,” said the clone. “She’s quite a delight once that blush sets in.”**

**“Oh, indeed,” grinned Loki, stroking her stomach gently while his double stroked her hair. “What shall we do next? Do you think she can tell us?”**

**“Hmm, perhaps. I’m not certain she’s returned to her senses yet,” the clone replied, looking down at her fondly. “Iona? Are you with us?”**

"Mmmmhhhmm..." She made that incoherent noise and looked up at them with slightly unfocused eyes. 

Damn... the way they were talking about her was twisting her mind into a dark sort of lust. It felt like she was their toy, and it was  _ freeing _ , in a manner.

"L-Loki..." she managed to mumble once her laboured breath eased a bit. "Take me..."

**Both Lokis laughed at her dazed state, the same familiar sounds coming from their mouths.**

**“Well what else would we be doing, darling?” Loki said, letting his hand drift down between her open legs, making lazy circles on her clit. **

**“Honestly, Iona,” said his twin, scooting down so he could watch her expressions as Loki pleasured her. “We’re enjoying this as much as you are. Just tell us what you want, and it’s yours.”**

**“** ** _Alternatively_ ** **,” added Loki, casually leaning on one arm while he continued his fondling between her legs. “We could surprise you...” **

She shivered as Loki kept stroking her clit, making it hard to concentrate on his words.

"Please...?" she mumbled in a needy, small voice.

All of the anxiety and stress of the day was pouring out of her as Loki played with her, and she wanted this play to continue. For both pleasure and relief...

**“Mmmm. Yes dear.” The double leaned forward and took her lips in a soft, intimate kiss as her fingers wove into his hair, pulling him close.**

**Loki grinned and adjusted his position, settling between her lewdly open legs and almost casually penetrating her. He moved slowly, taking her in long, languorous strokes.**

**“Mmmm...what a sight. The two most beautiful people in Asgard fucking each other. You’re so perfect, Iona. Clever and capable in ways I couldn’t have imagined. My dear, ** ** _sweet _ ** **queen...”**

She sighed against the double's lips, feeling as though she was glowing with the praise. Her lips remained locked with him as Loki slowly began to move deeper and deeper inside her.

What they were doing was so...  _ wild! _ As though she had two lovers - well,  _ husbands  _ \- instead of one. It was just enough to drive her inherent sense of propriety mad…

But she accepted it all the same. It  _ thrilled  _ her...

As her husband slowly increased the pace of their lovemaking, her legs wrapped around his waist and her heels shamelessly pressed into the curves of his ass, egging him on.

**Loki was thoroughly enjoying himself, rocking into the heat of her channel with lazy abandon. His pace had quickened as she encouraged him with her legs, but he was in no hurry to bring either of them to completion.**

**“Norns, Iona, your body is incredible. I could stay inside you for hours, simply feeling your hot cunt surround me. Your skin is soft and luscious as silk...it’s unbelievable. I didn’t know so much perfection could be contained in one person...other than myself, of course...” Loki chuckled, toying with her clit gently, loving how her cunt clenched around him in response.**

**The double smiled against her lips. “He’s rather full of himself, isn’t he?”**

**“Quiet, you,” Loki chastised. “Or I’ll do that thing we tried the last time I brought you out...”**

**“Hmm-hmmm...promises, promises...” The double laughed in response.**

"W-What...?" Iona’s eyes widened. "What does he mean?"

Her pussy strained against Loki's aroused flesh as she spoke, barely coherent.

**Loki just sighed in mock exasperation, picking up his pace and causing her to shriek in delight. “Don’t you worry about that now, sweetling. Not until I’m done with you. And YOU,” he said, catching the clone’s attention. “Keep her mouth occupied while I finish her off.”**

**He had wanted to take as long as possible with her, but the double’s mention of their last act - and Iona’s curiosity of it - made him eager to move on to that. It had been a LONG time since he had used his clone in this way, long before his world fell apart and then came back together. Strange, that he hadn’t considered it before now...**

**“Are you ready, baby girl? Come for Daddy, now...”**

Norns... his commanding tone, coupled with his quick, hard thrusts had her reeling. Her back arched and she literally pushed her hips against his, her channel clenching around his manhood helplessly.

The double kissed her again, swallowing her cries and laboured breaths as she lost herself to an intense orgasm.

**“There’s a good girl...” Loki smiled as he let her ride her pleasure out on his cock. It gave him such supreme satisfaction to watch her lose herself, all that stress and hate and anger melting like butter on a hot skillet. And hearing her cries muffled by his twin’s mouth was a special delight in itself.**

**Once she had come down and pulled herself together a bit, Loki reached over and grabbed the double by his hair. With a small gasp and moan, the double stilled like a kitten being picked up by its neck, face frozen in submission.**

**Loki grinned at Iona’s surprised reaction. “He’s very well trained...” he said as he pulled him upward and twisted him around, leaning in close enough to touch foreheads with him.**

**“Oh, you’ve been so good, little boy, making your Master and Mistress so proud. You want your reward?”**

**The clone nodded, and Loki pulled his head to the end of the bed so it fell off the edge, his body splayed across the mattress.**

**“Iona, love. Be a dear and ride his cock? He’s certainly eager for it.”**

**And indeed, the double’s cock was standing proudly between his legs, as though waiting for her.**

Iona looked at both of them in confusion, even though she slowly gathered herself and crawled over the double's body. 

She had ridden Loki before, that wasn't anything new or scary, but the look in her husband's eyes was sending shivers down her whole body. There was a glint in those beautiful eyes, of something dark...

Gingerly, she straddled his double and slowly lowered herself onto his manhood, caressing it with her fingers. She bit her lip and moaned as it filled her. After the round of fucking that Loki had just given her, she was highly sensitive down there. 

She knew that she'd be coming again very soon, without much effort at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TEST SUNDAY IS HERE!  
Hope you guys weren't dragged through the angst forest for too long. (Who are we kidding, we enjoyed doing it.)  



	33. Synchronicity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki continues to prove to Iona that two is better than one.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

**“Pace yourself, dear,” Loki said, though he did not indicate to which “dear” he was speaking to. The double groaned ecstatically as he began to thrust up instinctively into Iona, but Loki tightened his grip on his hair and forced him to stop.**

**“Now, now, now. You wouldn’t want me to take her away, would you?”**

**The double’s eyes were closed, and he shook his head desperately. “No! Please no, I’ll be good.” And he stopped moving, grasping the sheets in his fingers.**

**“Good boy,” Loki sneered, then glanced at Iona. “Iona, do whatever you want with this little fucktoy. He wants you to enjoy him...don’t you?”**

**“Yesss...” the clone moaned, eyes clenched shut.**

Iona's eyebrows almost rose to her hairline as she watched them both. How was it that his double... was acting like a whole different person than him?

It was as though the two parts of his personality--the submissive and the dominant--had been split into two actual Lokis.

It was so strange... it almost made her forget herself.

When Loki began to look at her as though he might grow unhappy by her inaction, she slowly began to move, up and down, up and down, taking his double deeper inside her wet channel. Her eyes stayed on her husband, though, locked with that powerful, almost hypnotic gaze of his.

**Loki positioned the clone’s head so that it aligned with his cock, still shining with their wife’s slick. And then he pressed it against the double’s lips.**

**“Open up,” he commanded, and instantly, his twin’s mouth popped open, taking Loki’s impressive cock down his throat in one smooth, continuous movement.**

**Loki closed his eyes and shuddered - it was a sensation he’d not experienced in quite some time, the size and strength and power of a masculine mouth on his cock. His ** ** _own_ ** ** mouth, he reminded himself, and his ** ** _own _ ** **mind knowing exactly how he liked it.**

She gasped aloud and blushed furiously as she watched her husband... _ fuck his own mouth _?... Oh Norns....

In her fascinated observation, she had stopped moving altogether. And yet, her pussy clenched around him with increasing frequency, just as she became more and more hooked to watching the double pleasure Loki with his mouth and throat.

**“Like what you see?” Loki chuckled, watching her reaction, though his breath hitched as the clone continued to eagerly gobble him down. His twin’s arms reached around and grabbed Loki’s thighs, pulling apart his ass cheeks and fingering the tight ring of muscles at his rear entrance. “Oooh good boy...” he moaned, and the double gargled enthusiastically, now starting to thrust up into Iona again. Loki didn’t stop him this time.**

**Being held tight and serviced in both areas was one of his favorite feelings...why ** ** _again_ ** ** had he not done this sooner?**

**“Kiss me, Iona,” Loki said in a breathy voice, his hips twitching of their own volition as the clone pleasured them both.**

She followed his command in a state of dazed obedience, leaning forward to grasp his shoulders as his double began to thrust up into her. 

Norns, she was so slick now that the wet slap of their bodies was jarringly loud. Watching the double pleasure him had made her hot like an uru furnace.

She whimpered as she brushed her lips to his, nibbling softly, like a kitten, while her body rose to another peak of pleasure.

**Loki’s body thrummed as he kissed Iona, knowing that he was close to completion. He moaned into her mouth as the clone’s finger breached his pucker and slid inside, pushing him further along. In response, he gave a loud, satisfied groan against Iona’s lips.**

**“How close are you, sweetling? If we time it right, we might be able...oh, NORNS!”**

**Loki swallowed hard as his twin’s digit touched that place inside him that drove him mad...and the double knew it. He ramped up the pace, and Loki could feel their triple-orgasm on the horizon.**

"I'm... right... there," she replied between her gasps and moans, barely audible against the pressure of his lips. 

And just as she said that, her whole body seized, writhing in the throes of yet another orgasm.

**Loki felt her AND the double tense at the same time, and it pushed him over the edge with them. With a final, loud moan, he pushed his cock down the clone’s throat, filling it with his effusions.**

**“FUCK!” he growled as his legs shook, his body arching into a precarious angle to take maximum pleasure out of the double’s throat. The double swallowed every drop of his essence enthusiastically.**

Iona found herself holding Loki in an almost death grip while he reached completion, her own body going through the crests of her orgasm, shaking helplessly. At the same time, the double erupted inside her, coming so intensely that his essence leaked down her inner thighs.

Just as it subsided, she collapsed, slumping face down onto the double's chest.

**Loki practically fell out of his double’s mouth and onto the floor, panting and sweaty, and his twin smiled at him upside down, his head still hanging down off the edge of the mattress.**

**“How was it?” he panted, looking like a puppy seeking approval, despite his watering eyes and glistening mouth. **

**Loki just grinned and leaned forward, kissing him gently. “Excellent work. I think she likes you.”**

**The double laughed. “She likes ** ** _US_ ** **. Unless we’ve killed her. Is she dead?” he asked playfully. **

**Loki peeked over the mattress, seeing the top of Iona’s head resting on his twin’s chest. “Sweetling? How are you? Still with us?”**

She moaned low in her throat, then wrapped her lips around the twin's nipple, sucking it gently. It felt as though she were possessed by a lusty spirit, for her pussy was still throbbing, and still wanting more attention.

And she wanted it to be known, so she simply began to rub herself against the double's semi-softened manhood.

**“Oh!” The double’s eyebrows shot up as she began to move on him, and he shuddered a bit. “I’m happy to report that she is most definitely still alive.”**

**“What do you say - let’s have another go?” Loki cupped his double’s cheek. “You’ve earned a reward for all that hard work. And our queen is still so eager for your attentions.”**

**The clone closed his eyes, enjoying the sensations of Iona’s body against him with a slight, lopsided smile. “I’m all yours… and ** ** _hers_ ** **.”**

Iona giggled, more to herself than to her two identical lovers. "He's adorable..."

Slowly, she shifted her body and took his burgeoning arousal back into the depths of her pussy. A deep moan escaped her as he filled her again, still growing inside her hot channel.

**The double scooted down on the bed so his head could rest on the mattress, careful not to fall out of Iona’s well-lubricated center. His eyes closed softly and his lips parted, and he wrapped his arms around her to caress her back softly.**

**Loki smiled and sat back casually, watching his wife pleasure him, his own cock beginning to harden again at the sight.**

**“You know, I’m perfectly happy to watch...for now,” Loki chuckled, grasping himself firmly and meeting Iona’s eyes. Oooh, she was feeling mischievous, he could tell from the way she grinned at him. Perhaps that beast she kept so well-contained needed a little exercise.**

Iona felt her face heating up again, feeling the hard focus of both her lovers fall eagerly on her as she moved up and down, impaling herself on the twin's manhood. Her eyes fluttered as she looked at Loki, watching him stroke himself. 

"Come here, please," she murmured, her voice almost caught on the edge of a moan. "I need you, _ Daddy _."

**“Of course, baby girl,” he growled as he stood and walked to the bed, hand still pumping his cock. **

**He sat down next to her and touched her cheek gently - Norns she was beautiful in this state, flushed and glistening with sweat, her long mahogany hair disheveled as it cascaded down her back and shoulders.**

**“Tell me what you need.”**

She pouted as she watched him stroking himself. "_ You _... I need you."

And then she all but slapped his hands away from his hard flesh, grasping it herself. She hoped that she made her intent clear when she started pumping it.

It was still hard for her to plainly state her needs... but she was learning to be more direct in her actions, at least.

**“Well,” he laughed darkly, taking a shuddering breath as she grabbed him. “I’m all yours. Where do you want me?”**

**He leaned over and whispered in her ear, thoroughly enjoying the sight of her riding his double. The clone’s face was twisted in utter submission and pleasure.**

**“Use your words, dear.”**

Her face grew hotter and hotter as she stared into his dilated eyes, still moving her body in rhythm with his twin.

She opened her mouth, then closed it, moaning as she did so. Norns, why was it so hard to state what she needed from him...?

"Take me," she urged, stroking him with more desperation. "Use me... like... " She shivered, closing her eyes in both shame and arousal. "Like a wanton whore... please... just... I don't want to choose, _ show _me."

**“As you wish,” he said. But there was so much in those words - deep, rumbling, dark...they fell from his lips like silk and gravel and chocolate, smooth and dangerous.**

**He got behind her, settling between the twin’s legs, and he pushed her shoulders down gently so her chest fell to the clone’s.**

**“Kiss him,” Loki commanded, and as she exposed her ass to him, he began to rub his finger along her pucker. She was tight, but ** ** _so_ ** ** inviting. Gently, and with plenty of magical lubrication, he began to breech her rear opening.**

She gasped he took over, just like she was wishing for. For some reason, she liked this dominant side of him. That darkness, which had scared her in the throne room all those months ago... now she craved it.

She partly blamed Loki for it, but she couldn't deny that that darkness attracted her.

While her lips brushed over the double's, she felt Loki exploring her rear with his slick fingers. She closed her eyes and let him, just the way she had let him use all his toys on her. 

It did feel good... _ so _good...

**“That’s it, darling. Let me in...”**

**He pressed further, hooking his fingertip and running the pad along the inside of her anus, stimulating all the nerves within her. She tensed, and the clone moaned at her reaction, thrusting his hips to push more deeply into her tightening cunt. Watching ** ** _both _ ** **their reactions was a special delight.**

**Loki added a finger once she had relaxed enough for him to do so, focused on gently stretching her, training her to open up for him.**

**“Very good, sweetling.” He rubbed her back with his other hand as she rocked on his twin’s manhood. He could see his double’s face, nearly as affected by his words as she was, and Loki reached down between the two of them and began stroking his sack softly. The double groaned, his legs beginning to shake, and Iona responded with a gasp and a keening moan.**

**His heart pounded, leading them into ecstasy. “There you go, just enjoy it...take it...”**

Iona bit the twin's chin and then his neck as Loki played with her, giving her that forbidden pleasure that she had come to accept from him. She actually loved it whenever he used that silver toy on her there.

It made her feel so naughty... and so vulnerable....

But she trusted him with that, and hence, they both enjoyed the experience. 

A deep whimper emanated from her as he added yet another finger into her rear, opening her up further than before. She remained pliant, moving atop the double in a languid manner, keeping his aroused flesh deep inside her.

Her hands rubbed his nipples, making them pebble with her touch. His responding groan was delicious, putting a smile on her face.

**Loki was ever so pleasantly surprised by Iona’s reactions to his touch. This was different than before - ** ** _she _ ** **was different. The way she responded, moved, moaned, breathed...she wasn’t tacitly accepting the sensations, she was actively participating.**

**And it made him hard as a rock.**

**It only took a few more minutes before she was ready, and he removed his fingers from her. She whimpered...until the spongy head of his eager phallus pressed against her.**

**The double stopped moving, locking eyes with Loki, as he gently held Iona’s shoulders.**

**“Iona,” he whispered, “Relax...you’re going to enjoy this very much...”**

Her mouth fell open the moment Loki pressed his hard flesh against the sensitive ring of muscle. In all honesty, she had not been expecting this.

But... she had asked him to take control, to use her as he wished, And so she tried her best to accept what he gave her, trusting his claim that it was going to feel good.

She let out an almost fearful cry as he began to breach her, stretching her to a point where it was beginning to hurt. Her body began to tremble, and even the hold of the double wasn't doing much to keep her still.

"L-Loki... I don't th-think it will fit," she blurted out, clutching the arms of the double, her eyes widening as Loki kept pressing into her.

**“Shhh darling...we’ll go as slowly as you need.”**

**He stopped pushing, allowing her to adjust, adding the lubricant. It felt incredible just to have the ** ** _tip _ ** **of his cock buried in her ass, and he felt his breathing grow shallow as she squeezed and relaxed around him. She shook gently as the adrenaline kicked through her system - a common reaction to new, intense sensations. But she’d asked him to guide her, so that’s what he would do.**

**“You’re doing so well...your tight ass feels amazing, sweetling. Take deep breaths, and the shaking will calm.”**

**He looked to his double. “Play with her clitoris, that will help.”**

**And the clone did as he was told.**

As the double began to rub her clit enthusiastically, she jerked and shook her head, her body clenching around the invasion.

The pain didn't increase, since Loki had stopped progressing inside her, but that odd fullness... it was a most strange sensation. She didn't know what to make of it.

"Oh Norns... Loki..." She closed her eyes and tried to relax herself, hoping that it'd get easier then. "Oh damn, this is... I've never... what _ is _this even?"

She knew she was mumbling incoherently, but she couldn't help herself.

**“That’s it, you’re doing fine. Relax...”**

**Then he slapped her ass. She jumped and squealed, and he was able to push himself in just a bit further as she stopped focusing solely on the intrusion.**

**“Mmm did you like that? Try pushing me out, it will help you take me in. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but...trust me.”**

**He began rubbing her back again as the double continued his work, and he inched forward, glacially slow.**

She did as he asked, still trembling as she tried her best to push him out of her rear. That made him slide inside more than before, making her utter a high pitched squeak. 

"Oh!" She pushed again, and her body further welcomed him inside, much to her astonishment. "Oh my...."

On and on they went... she pushed, he pressed further, and slowly... finally, she felt his sack nestle between her wide open thighs. 

He was in... _ all _the way in... she couldn't quite believe it. She had taken all of that length and girth inside her rear. And it didn't hurt that much. It was more of an intense discomfort that she hadn't experienced before.

**Loki exhaled. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath, so focused on Iona and her body and her comfort that he’d lost track of his own body.**

**But now...now she was full of him. Him and his double.**

**“Oh, Iona...” Loki swallowed hard, and the look on his clone’s face was exactly how he felt - nervous, excited, overwhelmed, desperate. He gripped Iona’s hips, more to steady himself than anything else, and he stayed firm and unmoving within her.**

**Loki looked at his double...and nodded. The clone nodded in return, and slowly began rocking his hips, pumping into her while the original didn’t move, still allowing that tight channel to relax.**

**“How does that feel...?” He had to keep his eyes closed to stay focused; the sensation of his clone’s cock rubbing against his, separated only by the thin wall of flesh between them, made his heart race.**

"Oh... I... " She let out a needy moan as the double began to move, still pressing his fingers to her clit. "Oh Loki... it feels so--so _ forbidden _! Unholy..."

She felt as though she was going to split, even though Loki wasn't yet moving. Still, him being deep inside her ass... it made everything more intense and strange. 

And there was the matter of her letting two men find pleasure in her body. By Valhalla, she had never even thought of doing this. And yet, it was still only her husband and her, and she was still true to her marriage vows of fidelity.

"I may come to like it," she mumbled finally, just as she hid her face into the double's chest, relaxing further into the act.

**“That’s my girl...” Loki groaned, his voice dark as midnight. “And we've only just begun...”**

**His clone looked like he might pass out from the pleasure, eyes rolled back and mouth hanging opened, soft and desperate moans escaping his throat with every breath. Loki tracked his rhythm, then began to pump in and out of Iona’s ass in the opposite rhythm, pistoning her with his twin. It was so incredible it almost frightened him. He wasn’t going to admit it to her, especially right at the moment...**

**...but he’d never done this either.**

Iona began to moan in earnest when Loki started moving in and out of her rear, creating such electric sensations inside her that she thought she'd faint from them.

Their to-and-fro act carried on for several minutes, slowly making her adjust to it all.

"Loki... _ Daddy _," she panted, her lovers slowly quickening their pace once it was obvious that she was enjoying the treatment they were meting out. "Y-Yes... please... m-more."

**“Yes baby girl...” Both Loki’s said in unison, the same growl in their voice.**

**Loki was seeing stars behind his eyes, losing himself as she opened for him and took him in.**

**She was incredible, a goddess, the purest erotic being he’d ever had the good fortune to take pleasure from. Her moans and whimpers were almost as musical to him as the percussion of their bodies moving against each other, grinding, thrusting, pushing and slapping together in a symphony of Bacchanalian delight.**

**Already, he was approaching climax, and from the way his clone and Iona shook and shuddered and squealed and moaned, it seemed they were nearly there as well.**

**“Are we ready...?” He was barely able to whisper the words, his entire body vibrating with sexual energy... such that he’d never felt before...**

Iona felt them both throb inside her, and at that moment, she lost all control over herself. Her body writhed, sandwiched between the two men as they ground into her depths in a mad frenzy. 

Her cries of pleasure were loud and unfettered as she came, clenching and squeezing and spasming all over.

And her soul... she felt like it left her body entirely.

And that feeling didn't die down. This orgasm just continued like a plateau of pleasure, making her body convulse repeatedly. She honestly thought she was possessed, for she literally could _ not _stop coming...

**The Lokis held each other’s forearms as the orgasm hit them both simultaneously, firmly encasing Iona between them. She screamed and spasmed and twisted, but they held her steady, her body milking them and drawing their seed inside her.**

**Their joint orgasm lasted for minutes, and Loki was left gasping, his mind swimming and incoherent.**

**What in the NORNS was that?! It was intense, it was dark and deviant...it was the most incredible pleasure he’d ever felt. Iona was still clenching around their cocks, now sobbing with the orgasm that ripped her apart.**

**He stayed still, releasing his grip on his double and gently running his hands over Iona’s skin, hoping to calm her, but eager to stay within her.**

Iona was a shivering mess by now, almost at the edge of consciousness. This was so intense, she had no words to describe the experience. 

When Loki's hands began to stroke her back, she twitched and arched against him, her body squeezing around him and his double again. 

"L-Loki..." she sobbed brokenly, "I c-can't s-top..."

It was true, her body was acting as though it was just a vessel for orgasms now. It was probably worse than when he had used that damned snake bracelet on her.

**“Shhhh darling. It’s alright. We’ve got you...breathe...”**

**Loki swallowed thickly and stopped stroking her back, just holding her close and feeling her heart race.**

**The clone gave Loki a worried look - neither of them had ever heard of unstoppable orgasms. And while Loki thoroughly enjoyed Iona’s struggle, his double seemed concerned for her. They shared a silent conversation, and eventually Loki rolled his eyes and conceded. **

**“We can pull out...if you think that would help, sweetling.” Loki said with as little begrudging acquiescence in his tone as possible.**

She took big gulps of air in, and then wrapped her arms around the double. She bit his shoulder as an especially intense wave of pleasure passed through her. It was surprising that she didn't break skin.

"No..." It was spoken in a petulant moan, even though she still trembled like a leaf between them. "Fuck... just, still. Still, stay still."

**The clone almost whimpered when she bit him, but not from pain or discomfort. Even Loki felt him stiffen at the stimulation as he closed his eyes and let out a shuddering breath.**

**Loki put his nose in Iona’s hair and held her tightly, unmoving, simply breathing her in and letting her lose herself, allowing her to let go of whatever resistance she still held to the overwhelming waves of unending pleasure...her trembling and clenching him in her warm grip was Valhalla, and as far as he was concerned, she could keep him there as long as she wanted.**

Slowly, the waves of pleasure reduced in intensity, making it easier for her to breathe. 

She moaned and cooed softy, still pressed against her two lovers. By now, it was bearable... she wasn't losing her mind, at least. 

"You're hard again," she murmured, to both of them, smiling into the double's chest.

**While Loki rolled his eyes - again - the double blushed. Loki thanked the Norns that Iona couldn’t see it, and he gave his twin a withering look. Obviously, virility was nothing to be ashamed of!**

**“I’m often that way around you, Iona. Or hadn’t you noticed?”**

**Just for fun, he pressed into her gently, to see how her overstimulated body would react to his slight movement. His curious mind delighted in testing her even now...though he wasn’t entirely certain he’d be able to reach completion a third time.**

**His clone barely looked like he’d survive another round.**

Iona squeaked as Loki pressed into her, almost tickling her insides with his flexing arousal. 

"Loki!" she cried out, wiggling between both of them, making the double gasp.

**The double actually ** ** _did _ ** **whimper this time, obviously trying to wriggle out from beneath the two of them.**

**“I...um...”**

**There was just the slightest hint of panic in his voice, and Loki couldn’t help but chuckle; he knew both Iona and his double felt the vibrations of it.**

**“Dear, I think my other half might need a rest...”**

Iona giggled, and then sighed in exhaustion. 

"Maybe it's wise to finally sleep." She dropped her head onto the double's chest. "Otherwise we'd be like draugrs tomorrow."

**“As much as I hate to admit it...I agree,” said Loki, and he removed himself from his lovers’ bodies. The double sighed with relief, a joyful and relaxed smile spreading across his face.**

**“Oh, Norns. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to cuddle more in my life,” said the clone, also pulling himself from Iona. Loki quickly cleaned them all before falling on the bed beside his wife and his double.**

**“Lies,” Loki said flatly. “What about after that time with Brunhilde?”**

**“I didn’t want to cuddle after that! I was trying to meld back into you! The woman was terrifying! I still can’t believe you—“**

**Upon hearing Iona loudly clearing her throat, they both stopped and looked over at her reddening face and angry eyes...and decided there might be a better topic of conversation to end the evening.**

**“Perhaps...” said Loki, forcing a yawn, “that’s a story for another time. Come on, you.” He said to the clone, opening his arms. “Time to come home.”**

Iona put her hand over the double's chest, stopping him from reaching for Loki. She was still between them, and hence, blocking them from coming together.

"Not yet, please," she said, shifting closer to the clone and curling her leg around his thigh. "I want to keep him."

**Loki choked a laugh down seeing his twin’s face light up with confusion and delight.**

**“Me?! But...I’m not supposed to stay... In fact, this is the longest I’ve been out since...we’ll, I think this is the longest I’ve ** ** _ever _ ** **been out...” He turned his pleading and hopeful eyes to his original. “Can I?”**

**Loki faked resignation and sighed heavily. “Who am I to impede the desires of the Allmother? Alright then. You can keep him...for now.”**

**The double squealed and nuzzled into Iona’s neck, a muffled “yes” squeaking out from her locks. Again...Loki rolled his eyes, judging the clone for being so soft-hearted while at the same time recognizing that, in fact, he was still technically ** ** _him_ ** **...**

Iona kissed the clone sweetly, then whispered to him to wrap himself around her from behind as she turned to face Loki.

"Thank you, husband." She nudged his nose with hers, smiling at him. "For everything. But don't ever mention your past lovers in front of me, or I'll find them and get them banished."

**“Most of them have already ** ** _been _ ** **banished, sweetling,” Loki laughed as he kissed her forehead and offered no further explanation than that. “But yes. No more discussion of that. It’s time to sleep.”**

**He wrapped his arms around Iona’s waist and even intertwined his fingers with his double’s. Then he grinned sarcastically.**

**“Now that the queen has taken a liking to you, will you ever want to return to our unionized state? I surely hope so...”**

**“Mmmm don’t worry,” mumbled the clone happily. “I’ll take what I can get. This has already been one of the best days of my life. Thank you, Master...and Mistress.”**

**With that, their conversation ceased, and the three of them drifted off into a calm, satisfied sleep.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The blessed Test Sunday arrived just in time for lockdown. 
> 
> We hope ya'll are safe and sound and washing your hands for 20 seconds at least. 
> 
> NOTE: Do check out the one-shot we wrote for Spring Time with Loki collection. It features Iona and Loki as wittle kids. Fluff extreme!


	34. Openness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iona spends more time with Loki's double and learns a bit more about her mercurial husband.
> 
> **TEST SUNDAY is here! Let us rejoice!**

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

When the morning came, Iona woke up against the chest of her husband, WHILE hearing her husband puttering around in the bathroom. That almost sent her into a mild panic.

It took her a minute to realize that she was cuddling with the double. Loki was already up and about, probably getting ready to head out and attend to his duties. 

How strange it was, her husband could  _ actually  _ become two persons and still function. 

Slowly, she curled up further against the double, who wrapped his arms around her. He didn't speak up, and she let him be. For now.

"Good morning," she murmured as Loki came into the bedroom, putting on his armour and cape. It amused her to no end to see that he put them on physically now, not with magic. "Heading out already? I thought that you didn't have court today? I had asked you to call it off this week, in order to prepare for your Name Day celebrations."

**“Good morning, sweetling,” he smiled and leaned over to kiss her softly on the forehead. “No, no court today. But there are other duties that need to be handled - part of the Alfan nobility has requested a private meeting to discuss the leyline without the Vanirs present. I can’t say I blame them, given that it’s ** ** _their _ ** **moon, nor is there a more opportune time than this...”**

**He glanced at her, still naked and in the arms of his twin, and he grinned libidinously. “Goodness, we ** ** _do_ ** ** make a fetching couple...”**

**The double leaned up on his arm, stretching before wrapping himself around Iona again like a koala. “Mmmm, I agree. We’re positively dashing.”**

**Then he nuzzled against Iona’s cheek, making her giggle. “What do you have planned this morning? Perhaps we can break our fast together?” He flicked his eyes up to the original hopefully...ultimately it ** ** _was_ ** ** the Master’s decision...**

**Loki looked at the two of them, both giving him the sad puppy eyes...and how could he resist that?**

**“Oh, fine. But after breakfast, we’re joining up again. Having you out this long has been a bit of a drain on my seidr, and it needs to replenish.”**

"Why? Do you need to fight an army before the final feast, husband?" Iona asked sarcastically, leaning against the double and giving him a sultry kiss while she knew that Loki was watching intently. 

The double returned the kiss quite enthusiastically, grasping her breasts and squeezing them gently. She knew that this would escalate if she kept at it. Still, she wanted to make Loki watch...

**Loki’s jaw clenched a bit at the sight, but not in anger. Suddenly his breeches felt a bit tight...**

**“Ah...no...” he said, trying to act aloof and failing miserably. “But one never knows what might happen when politics, economics, and nobility from different realms are thrown together with copious amounts of food and alcohol. Best be in my guard and ready, just in case.”**

**He took a concealed breath to calm himself, wishing for the first time that he ** ** _weren’t_ ** ** the Allfather so he could stay here with Iona and himself...but, such was the life of a King.**

**“Enjoy yourself, dear. I’ll return in a few hours. And ** ** _you_ ** **,” he said, addressing the double with a smirk. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”**

**With that, he took his leave.**

"Mmmmm..." Iona kissed the double lazily, while still draped across his body as his hands roamed all over her. He touched her as though he thought she'd disappear--so reverential and soft. She found it very endearing, because even though he was a magical entity, he was still part of Loki. 

"I feel slightly irresponsible, you know," she said after breaking the kiss, caressing his arm with her index finger. "I should have attended this meeting with him, as I've been involved in this matter from the very beginning. I ought to be the king's right hand."

**“I can say with some certainty that if your presence were needed, he would have asked you to come. But he wants you to relax...after the fight** **yesterday. And the ****_lengthy _****actions of contrition that followed...”**

**The double gave her one last smooch before climbing out of bed, standing and stretching again while looking out the window.**

**“I’ve...never woken up from sleep before. It’s nice. The sunrise is quite pleasant.” Then, without skipping a beat, he turned to her smiling cheerfully. “So, what would you like? Pastries? Fruits? Tea? The usual?”**

She sat up in the bed and just observed him keenly. He was the same as Loki, but still,  _ different _ . More cheerful than him, certainly. 

And more... submissive and driven to please. 

Perhaps it was some repressed side of Loki that he usually didn't let out.

"I'll have some sweet fruit bread with salted butter," she answered him sweetly. "With tea, of course. But first, we need to wash ourselves and become more presentable."

**“Presentable for ** ** _what_ ** **?” he chuckled, but he pulled on a robe and went to the door of the chamber, asking the servant to bring what she requested. Then, he returned and took her by the waist gently.**

**“I mean...I look forward to bathing with you, if that’s what you desire, sweetling...”**

She nodded, kissing him again. "I do have to attend to my duties as a queen. I'm taking care of all the arrangements around the palace and even across the city. It's your first Name Day celebration after your coronation. It must be special and spectacular."

Pulling him towards the bathroom, she pushed off his robe and directed him to the humongous bath. 

"Prepare it for us."

**He almost giggled again as he went to the tub and turned on the water. He let the warm stream of liquid play through his fingers as he checked the temperature.**

**“You know, it’s not ****_my _****Name Day. It’s ****_his_****. We’re not exactly** **the same person...”**

She looked at him curiously. "Please explain it to me, then. What are you, exactly? I thought you were a part of Loki himself."

Awaiting his answer, she grabbed a few of her favourite bath soaps and oils and poured them into the warm water.

**Those familiar-yet-new scents filled his nose, and he smiled happily, opening his green eyes to take in her beautiful body. “It’s not that complicated. I ** ** _am _ ** **him, but I’m a different version of him. A copy from the moment in time he manifests me, with all his memories and desires and feelings...”**

**The double looked down then and lazily drew his fingers through the warm water, watching the ripples trail behind them as the tub filled. “But I don’t control any seidr. And I know I’m the duplicate - the original is the Master. And that is...how I like it, actually. I know everything that has happened in his life, and frankly, I’m glad I don’t have to make the choices that he does...I can just enjoy myself while I’m here. All I have to do is what he wants, and I’m content.”**

**He looked at Iona again with an easy smile - so much more relaxed and open than the original, without the weight of history or responsibility on his shoulders.**

**“Or...whatever ** ** _you_ ** ** want, right now...”**

She immersed herself into the fragrant water slowly, moaning in pleasure as it soothed all the little aches of the previous night. She pulled herself close to him as he sat down in the bath as well. 

"This is so interesting. You're still him, but not fully him. You're like a temporally detached self of his." She wet her hair slowly, and handed him the shampoo bottle. "I'm going to miss you once you're joined with him again. I kind of liked this arrangement."

**He took the shampoo from her and let her settle in between his legs, her back against her chest. His long fingers began lathering her tresses, moving gently but firmly against her scalp and enjoying the contented moans and sighs she made.**

**“Me too,” he said innocently. “But I’m not meant to be permanent. It does take a lot of seidr to maintain my corporeal form.”**

**Suddenly, his fingers slowed and his tone grew darker. “Bad things happen when a clone sticks around for too long. They start to learn independence, individuality, self-preservation...it’s not in our nature, it drives us insane. I’m excited to have been given all this extra time, but....it will be nice to go home, eventually.”**

She grew quiet for a bit after his revelation, considering his words and absorbing them. The workings of seidr were not something that she fully understood, just that she had been exposed to it since childhood. 

First, she had observed Queen Frigga using it. She had always been careful with it, never to misuse it.

Then, watching Loki becoming a master in it was kind of terrifying at first. He was  _ always _ misusing it, sometimes on her. And he didn't show any care for the burden it caused on his person. 

"Thank you," she said as he rinsed her hair. "You've explained it so well. I'll try not to keep you for long. But don't leave just yet. I'll feel a bit lonely then. I suppose we can part our ways once I've had breakfast. I need to do my palace rounds, and then I need to look at some administrative requests."

She sighed heavily, kicking the water lightly. 

"And then I have to face the Alfan and Vanir nobles. You know, the ones  _ not _ involved in the leyline deal. Including the frivolous and flirty ones, who were all but draping themselves over Loki last night. I don't like being social with them."

**He rinsed her hair using a small vessel next to the tub, watching the suds flowing off of her and into the water. Her contented sigh made him happy...** ** _everything_ ** ** she did made him happy. “Darling, why in the Nine Realms would you concern yourself with them? I adore you - which means ** ** _he_ ** ** adores you. And you weren’t some random selection, after all - he ** ** _chose_ ** ** you. It would have saved him a lot of trouble if he’d picked someone more docile and submissive...”**

**With a soft chuckle, he began to wash her body using a soft cloth and some of the scented soap she brought over earlier. He loved the way she melted into him as he worked, feeling the tension release from her muscles.**

**“And I can’t leave until he gets back anyway, so we’ve got plenty of time together. Just relax, sweetling. Breakfast hasn’t even arrived yet. Let me take care of you...like he always wants to do.”**

**He took his time finishing her bathing, running his hands along her body in a meandering way. It was ** ** _sensual_ ** **, and he enjoyed it immensely. He touched her everywhere, sliding the cloth from her jawline, down her neck, over her collarbone and breasts until he dipped it under the water and the bubbles floated away from them.**

**“You’re the most beautiful woman in the universe in his eyes. You could be wearing a stunning dress or a feed sack, it wouldn’t matter to him...well, unless the feed sack wasn’t ** ** _tailored_ ** **.” He chuckled, meaning to get a laugh out of her.**

She giggled, shaking her head. The praise had made her blush, but still, some concerns remained, hanging on the edge of her thoughts.

"I... I  _ do _ trust him, in my heart. Especially after our little fight last night. I had expected him to act like a salacious cad, the worst possible conclusion. He did deserve some of my anger, but not all." She sighed and stroked the suds in the water as she lay against his chest, letting him tend to her. "I just wish that the others would see me too. Notice me. Not ignore me like I'm just an accessory to him. It's not a good feeling, standing next to my husband and being treated like I'm not even visible."

**“Well, he’s ** ** _never_ ** ** one to be invisible...” He stopped and blinked a few times, realizing what he’d said. “Except...you know...when he ** ** _is_ ** **. He’s the king now, and an ostentatious one at that. Proudly so. But I’m certain he wouldn’t want you to feel that way.”**

**The double gently moved her off of his lap and got out of the tub. He gave himself a quick dry and put on his robe, then helped her out and wrapped her in a large, soft towel.**

**“Whenever he doesn’t get the attention he wants, he ‘peacocks.’ He’s done it since he was young.” He chuckled, then kind of blushed. “And he’d probably not be thrilled I’m telling you this...but oh well. He’ll know about everything we discussed as soon as I go home.”**

"Peacocks?" She laughed again, leaning against him as he opened her wardrobe for her. "You mean.. showing off his assets? Is that why he used to bind elaborate magical spells when he was in the vicinity of someone attractive?"

The thought amused her immensely. 

"And don't worry about him knowing. I'm his wife, I'm  _ meant  _ to know him."

**The double laughed. “He simply ensures that he draws everyone’s eye, with his mannerisms, his conversation, his clothing. He hasn’t really needed to as the Allfather, though...especially since Thor has taken up residence in Midgard.”**

**Then the clone spun her around so she was looking at him. “But his confidence is borne from deep insecurity. He is driven to impress people in order to have them accept him.“**

**Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The double stopped and looked over at the closed passage, and a bright smile spread across his face as he changed the subject abruptly. “Breakfast is here! Oh...you might want to answer that...I’m supposed to be in a meeting, remember?”**

**He helped her into her own robe, then kept himself hidden behind the wardrobe as the food was brought in. Once they were alone again, he came out and pulled on a pair of soft pants underneath the robe. “Excellent - I’m famished!”**

She sipped her tea slowly while he buttered the bread for her and offered her a piece. This was nice, having him at her disposal, being the sole focus of his attention. It reminded her of the peaceful days of their honeymoon, which, too, were very few.

While she took her responsibility as queen and Allmother very seriously, this lack of companionable time on both her and Loki's part made her long for a break now and then.

"What do you suggest that I wear today?" she asked suddenly, just as he had popped a piece of fruit bread in his mouth. "I'm expected to be kind and even tempered when I face those damned nobles. I suppose my clothing ought to represent that… so, pastels?"

**The double scoffed. “Always so concerned about what the other nobles will think, Iona.” When she gave him a questioning look, he continued.**

**“Of course, there is certainly a level of presentability and decorum that’s important to maintain respect and order, but beyond that, your personality is yours to display or hide as you choose. Regardless of what some stuffy Alfans or Vanirs think you should do. But what do I know? I’m just a clone. I’m not meant to make decisions.”**

**He gave her a teasing look as he buttered another piece of bread for her.**

His words were cryptic, but Iona was certain that she understood the meaning behind them. 

She was not to hide herself. She was a  _ Queen _ , and an attractive and capable one at that (if she'd dare to presume).

"Thank you," she said, finishing her tea and giving him a sweet, chaste kiss on the lips. "I think I know what I shall wear. Today... and tomorrow, for Loki's Name Day celebrations."

**About an hour later, Loki returned from his meeting with the Alfans.**

**Norns, he had been desperate to get out of there. The Alfans were known for being particular, but THAT was excessive. They wanted to divvy up the use of the leyline ** ** _by the meter_ ** **...but had no idea how to enforce that usage and expected ** ** _him_ ** ** to figure it out. The meeting had ended on less-than-ideal terms, but Loki was resigned to that at this point. And he was quite happy Iona had been able to avoid it.**

**He pushed open the door to see his wife sitting on his clone’s lap, the two of them happily making out at the dining table, the empty platter from breakfast pushed to the side.**

**He grinned and cleared his throat to get their attention.**

Iona broke away from the double in haste, almost startled to hear the clearing of a throat. She breathed a sigh of relief to see that it was only Loki. 

"Oh! You're back!" She grinned at him, still sitting in the clone's lap, swinging her legs like a cheeky youth. "We had a wonderful morning. I was just discussing with him... well, more like ruing the fact that I can't have a part of you with me like this all the time while we're separated. Anyway, how was the meeting?"

**Loki sighed and rolled his eyes. “Oh...you know the Alfans. I’m almost certain you enjoyed yourself here more than I did. No new developments as of yet, so nothing for you to worry about except the social preparations, sweetling.”**

**He walked over to them and lifted her off of the clone’s lap. The double pouted at him. **

**“Heeey...”**

**Loki affectionately tapped him on the nose after setting Iona gently on her feet. “What? You’ve been out longer than ever before. It’s time to come home. I’m exhausted from keeping you out here, and I’ve been dying to know what you two have been up to. Now get ** ** _over_ ** ** here.”**

**With a sarcastic sigh - and an identical eye roll - the clone stood up and smiled. “All right, ** ** _Dad_ ** **,” he whined teasingly.**

**Loki raised a playful eyebrow. “Don’t you take that tone with me.” Then they embraced.**

**The clone began to glow with white light, gradually increasing in intensity until it was almost blinding. The shape of his body became indistinct as the light shifted and started flowing into Loki, and after just a few seconds the double was gone, nothing but whisps of white light dissipating off of Loki’s clothing.**

**Loki stood with his eyes closed for just a moment after he lowered his arms, then they opened and he turned to face Iona.**

**“A peacock? Really?”**

She shrugged, pressing herself to him. "Ask yourself, not me. I didn't use the term, your magical double did."

She rose on her tiptoes and kissed him then, brushing her fingers against his armour. She had a strange fascination with it. It was just one of those things that, surprisingly, worked to arouse her. But  _ only  _ with him. It was strange…

**Loki noticed her pressing her hands against the leather armor on his chest, her eyes growing unfocused. He grinned and put his arms around her waist.**

**“Iona?” he said quietly, smiling at her when those gorgeous honey-colored eyes looked up at him. “Haven’t you had your fill yet, darling? I swear, if I had known how susceptible you were to my charms, I would have tried seducing you much earlier in our acquaintance.”**

**He could feel the weight of his helm pushing forward as he looked down at her, and watching her eyes flick up to his horns unconsciously before looking back at him...gave him an idea.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We hope that you guys enjoyed your time with the clone, for everyone wanted more of him. :P


	35. Role-Play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Iona discover the wonderful concept of role-play.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

**“If you like the armor so much...perhaps you would like to have some of your own?”**

She blushed and bit her lip. Truly, what was going on with her? She was acting so insatiable...it was almost  _ embarrassing _ . 

"Umm... I do have my vambraces," she replied, raising her braced wrist to his eye level. "I mean, it's more ornate and less of a protection. But my armour is mainly symbolic. I'm not a warrior."

It was one of her failings, she knew. Asgardians prided themselves in being natural warriors. Everyone had a weapon of choice, and everyone was trained in a given style of combat. Iona had never really been a natural at it, and so she had opted out of the weapons training in favour of learning more about politics and the intricacies of the royal courts of the Nine Realms.

“ **Yes...but I’m not especially fond of warriors. ** ** _Especially _ ** **the female ones. But that’s not what I asked.” Loki chuckled, bending down and nuzzling her nose with his. “Armor does tend to make a visual impact when one is trying to...** ** _’peacock’_ ** **, as it were. I certainly didn’t need to wear it for practical reasons to my meeting this morning.”**

**He took her raised wrist delicately and kissed her hand, his eyes locked on hers as he did so.**

**“I could imagine you in something fierce yet feminine...in my colors, of course.”**

"Oh...? And what would that be?" she asked with a chuckle.

She loved it when he just grasped her hand and kissed it. It always sent a thrill through her. It was almost silly; they had been intimate in the most salacious of ways, and yet, this simple gesture from him made her all warm between her legs.

**Loki led her to the full-body mirror on the other side of the room and stood behind her. He kept his hands on her hips and leaned over her shoulder, watching her with delight.**

**“Something like this...”**

**Though his seidr was quite depleted from keeping his double corporeal for so long, he couldn’t pass on an opportunity to design a suit of armor for her...it was a weakness he’d never admit out loud, but he adored the outfits she wore, and often thought of dresses and...well, ** ** _not_ ** ** dresses...that she would look stunning in.**

**She began to shimmer in gold as he closed his eyes and focused his mind on creating her armor - flexible, beautiful, functional. It only took a few seconds, but soon the Queen of Asgard looked like an entirely new person.**

**Her hair was plaited in the traditional Valkyrie style, streaming down in two long braids over her shoulders. A golden breastplate left little to the imagination, while dark green and black leather hugged her curves and ended in a short skirt, showing off her shapely thighs. High leather black boots with embroidered golden filigree stretched up to just over her knees, and a dagger sat sheathed in a pocket on the side of her right calf.**

**Her vambraces remained the same, but on her head rested a detailed and carved homage to his own helm, with two horns reaching upward from the band of gold that stretched across her forehead.**

**When he was done, he grinned at her reflection. “What do you think?”**

"Oh!" She stared at her reflection in shock. "This is... I don't have words..."

Her face grew heated as she looked at her bare legs. They were on full display, unlike her daily wear. The Asgardian populace would probably utter a collective gasp of outrage upon seeing her like this. 

She touched her tiara then, which had horns like his helm, but smaller. A giggle escaped her as she turned to her side to discover the way the leather hugged her form. 

"Is it really fit for a battle?" She looked at him through the mirror, running her hand over her bare thighs. "It's so...  _ provocative _ ."

**He chuckled as he watched her walk around, twisting and turning in front of the mirror to look at herself. He held his chin in his hand and almost had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing out loud.**

**“Well...it’s more than what Sif wears...”**

She gave him a pointed look then. "I’m certain she covers her legs with  _ pants _ ."

Something came to her notice then, seeing his gaze following the very... strange kind of breastplate he had put her in. It appeared to be displaying her breasts rather than protecting them, pushing them up to form a deep valley between them. 

"This is obviously for your viewing pleasure, isn't it?" she asked with a smirk as she turned around and leaned against him pressing her very  _ protected  _ breasts against his chest, letting the metal of her armour clink against his.

**He feigned innocence as he looked up toward the ceiling. “What? Of course not...”**

**The clang of metal between them made his heart race just a bit - she certainly did look fierce, but her lack of muscle tone against the hard lines of leather and armor gave her more of the image of a seductress than a warrior.**

**And he didn’t mind it one bit.**

**“Do you want me to change you back?” he asked, his voice gravelly, hoping she’d say no.**

She considered his offer for a passing second, but then she felt the hardness poking through his pants right against her lower belly, and that changed her thoughts on the matter.

"Let's pretend that I am indeed a warrior for a while," she whispered, pulling out her dagger from its sheath. "And that you're a.... a miscreant... a man running from the law. And now I've caught you."

She pressed the dagger against his throat, taking care not to break his skin. She needed to see Willa in about an hour, and since there was still some time to keep Loki with her...she'd take it, especially if it meant that she could pretend to be naughty for a bit.

"You have to either defend yourself or surrender..."

**He raised an eyebrow at her again, both hating and loving that he’d given her that little dagger she’d grown so fond of.**

** _Well, if she wants to play..._ **

**And since he would well and truly overpower her if he tried to “defend himself”...at least at first...**

**“My lady...I did not expect you to be so cunning or skilled...”**

**He lowered himself to his knees, his licentious gaze slowly turning to one of mock desperation and fear, of one who had been caught and bested. Gold shimmered around his neck and wrists, and a black uru collar and manacles formed, connected together by a chain, the end of which appeared in her other hand.**

**“I surrender. Please. I beg you for mercy. I had not realized I could be captured so easily...”**

_ Oh Norns... _

Iona gaped at him for a moment, truly stunned to see him chained and submissive, yet still in his full ceremonial armor. Like a trophy. 

His collar even had the same filigree that her vambraces had. 

She tried her best to remain true to her present form and character, that of a stern warrior. So she tugged the chain he had literally handed her, pulling him closer so that he was merely inches away from the apex of her thighs, the horns of his helm nearly crashing against her breasts.

She widened her stance to make it even more prominent... ignoring the blush that took over her face. 

"And captured you are, you menace of a man," she stated authoritatively. "Now, prepare to pay your penance... that's the only way for you to earn mercy. Tell me, what are you willing to do to earn a lesser sentence for your crimes?"

**“I’ll help the poor,” he said, casting his face down and hiding the grin he couldn’t keep from spreading across his face - that would ruin the facade. Again, the reaching horns clanged against her, causing her to giggle and take a few steps back.**

**“I’ll...clean the stables. On my hands and knees if I must.”**

**He looked back up at her, his composure and character regained. He gave her the most defeated look he could manage.**

**“I’ll do anything. Please...tell me.”**

She leaned down and traced his pretty jawline with her dagger, then rested the tip beneath his chin. 

"You will do all that... and more," she ordered, tapping the metallic tip against his skin. "Or... there's an easier way, but you must prove yourself capable of pleasing me. Do you think you can?"

**Damn...she was getting good at teasing him with daggers. They had a term on Midgard, what was it...? Ah yes. ** ** _Pavlovian Response_ ** **.**

**His cock hardened and he shuddered, but he kept up the act.**

**“My...my lady?” He swallowed hard, his voice a mere breath. “I...know not what you mean. How may I...please you?”**

She bit her lip and tried to keep herself together. Damn... he was  _ so _ good at playing innocent. No wonder he got away with so much mischief...

"Serve me with your body,  _ thrall _ ," she murmured, pulling the dagger away and caressing his lips with her thumb. "Use this pretty mouth to please me."

She pulled on his chain till his face was all but pressed to her burning womanhood.

**Her scent drove him wild, not to mention having the chain tug him forward gave him the most delicious sense of helplessness. His helm pressed against her a third time and came clattering off as he burrowed his face into her body.**

**“I...I will try, my lady...” he murmured into her skirts, and he used his nose to work his way beneath them, breathing on her sensitive spot.**

She almost let out a giggle as she awkwardly fell forward. Norns, he had just nipped at her clit so impertinently. 

"Thrall... behave!"

**“I’m sorry, my lady...” he said, smiling ear to ear now that she couldn’t see him. “I’ve never done this before. Please...guide me.”**

She pulled away from him and then collapsed in the nearest chair. 

"Here. Come here." She pulled on his chain again, forcing him forward. "Use your tongue and your lips. S-Spread me..." She faltered as the words felt so damn naughty. "Spread me like a feast and then dive in."

**Hearing her stutter over the dirty words delighted him. Even after all they’d done together, she still struggled to let go of her upbringing and speak such filthy language...it was honestly endearing.**

**Had he known how deeply ingrained her training was when they’d first met, he would have worked harder to corrupt her sooner. But that wasn’t something to dwell on at present.**

**Instead, he looked up at her with faux shock and disgust, acting as though her words truly shook him to his core.**

**“My lady, I—** ** _mmpf!_ ** **”**

**His words were cut off when she grabbed his head and shoved his face between her legs.**

Iona was... impatient. She was soaking wet, and she needed his mouth on her. His wicked, wicked mouth…

Fortunately, he hadn’t bothered to create any undergarments for her.

"Either get to work or get ready for... mmmm... punishment..." She began to moan as he sucked on her clit, almost making her muddle her little speech.

**Loki didn’t respond. Instead, he did as she’d commanded, and feasted on her.**

**He slid his tongue along her slit, lapping up her ample juices as he went. He sucked her clit and rolled it gently between his teeth. He dipped his tongue inside her hot channel and sucked the slick folds. He used every technique he knew, and made a few up on the fly.**

**All her moans and screams were enough to let him know he was doing good work.**

She let go of the chain and just held his head in her hands, her fingers carding through his silky hair as he worked his magical mouth on her. 

About a year ago, if someone had told her that she'd become so wanton and salacious in just a few months' time, she'd have called that person mad. But oh, how Loki had changed her... now she craved sex and wanted him nearly all the time. 

In every way possible.

"Y-Yes... good w-work, my thrall," she spoke between shudders of pleasure, as he all but yanked her towards an orgasm. "Oh! I'm so close!"

**“Yes, my lady,” he said directly into her cunt, licking her from bottom to top.**

**He could feel her tensing and squeezing, and if he were a less hearty man he might worry that she would pop his head open with her thighs. But none of that crossed his mind as he pleasured her with his lips, tongue, and teeth.**

**Then, at last, he heard her cry out and seize up as the orgasm overcame her, and she unconsciously pulled his entire face into her center. His airways were blocked...but he didn’t panic. He could last a few seconds without air. He continued to lap at her as she came, enjoying the feel of her folds against his chin and nose.**

Iona smiled lazily as she let go of his head, still shivering in pleasure as the waves of her orgasm slowly subsided. 

She looked down at his face with heavy lidded eyes, her thighs still spread open. His face was wet with her essence, that alone made her giggle. 

"It's like I've marked you... as mine," she murmured, biting her lip impishly.

**Loki licked his lips as he gazed at her lasciviously, forgetting the role he was playing for just a split second. Then, his face turned back to an expression of innocent shock.**

**“I...I am at your mercy, my lady. Claimed as I am by you.”**

She raised her knee to his face and caressed his cheek with it, still smiling in an almost stupid way.

"Drop your pants, show me your...  _ sword _ ."

**With a false pout, he stayed on his knees and undid his breeches, releasing his achingly hard member from its confines. It was surprisingly difficult to work the stays and clasps of his leather armor while his wrists remained in the chains, but he knew she enjoyed watching him struggle with it.**

**Once he was freed, he looked back up at her with feigned shame at his exposure and awaited her next command.**

She dropped from the chair and was on him in an instant, grasping his manhood in her hand and squeezing it  _ not so gently _ . 

"Oh thrall, you're so... gifted. You've pleased me well." She pulled his collar down and sucked on his neck, feeling so utterly greedy for his skin. 

But then again, when was she NOT greedy for him? She was positively ravenous for him. 

"Mmmmm.... so delicious," she whispered against his skin. Then, breaking character just for a moment, she pulled away from his neck and gave him a wink. "Chain your hands behind your back. I want you to be utterly incapacitated."

**With a smirk, the chain between his manacles shimmered away. He brought his hands behind his back and connected them once again, with the collar on his neck still attached to them, the chain following his spine.**

**He said nothing with his mouth, but everything with his eyes and his expression. He was eager, and he kept slipping out of character.**

**Norms, if he had known a simple outfit could have done ** ** _this _ ** **to her...**

"Is this the first time you’ve been...used this way?" she asked him, stroking him slowly, feeling the clear liquid flowing onto her hand from his aroused flesh. 

He was loving this as much as she was... so she tried to be even harsher with her words.

"How does it feel, to be so helpless and bound? You'd service me for the rest of your days. You'd be my own personal toy... so much for being a criminal." She laughed in his face, softly biting his lower lip. "You belong to me now... I'll do with you as I please. I'll  _ ruin  _ you, thrall."

**“I— I...” When she bit his lip, he lost his train of thought. All he ** ** _wanted_ ** ** was for her to use him as she pleased.**

**Never, in his entire life, had a woman held so much control over him...and he never imagined he would enjoy it so much. Her dominance slipped out only occasionally, but the fact that it existed at all - and that she knew exactly what to do with it - excited him all the more.**

**“I am at your service...” he said through trembling lips, the feel of her hand on his manhood driving him mad. Pulling against the restraints made her attentions feel even better. “I will do anything you ask, just please, have mercy on me. I promise to behave.”**

"Mmmm... begging becomes you,  _ thrall _ , keep at it," she said, letting go of his arousal and grasping his shoulders. "Lean back... and receive me well."

With a little fumbling around, she managed to push him back and press herself onto him, aligning herself to his erection. 

"But, thrall, don't expect mercy from me," she moaned as she slid down on him, taking him inside her inch upon inch, watching as his face betrayed his pleasure.

**“Please...my lady...” He was soon completely encased in her wet, hot heat, and he trembled with need for her. This ridiculous tableau had gone from silly to overwhelmingly erotic in no time flat. He was essentially immobile in the position she’d put him in, and all he could do was try to keep his balance while she took her pleasure from him.**

**The leather skirts slapped his leather breeches as she bounced upon him, and the metal of her chest plate clanged against the golden accents of his armor. Even their horns collided occasionally, sending metallic ringing noises throughout the room.**

**Between the noises and her voice and her command and her touch - not to mention her scent from the juices still coating his face - he was approaching orgasm rather more rapidly than usual.**

She was holding onto him hard, just hanging on his strong frame while she moved her body in a rhythm that he had taught her so well. 

He obviously couldn't move much, so she had to do that for both of them. It was strenuous, but oh so delicious!

She was in control, and it was heady. She loved it when he handed the reins completely to her.

"Keep begging," she growled, biting his chin, his jaw, his neck... marking him as hers. "That's all you're good for! That, and your manhood. Tell me, what is your purpose in life now? Tell me, thrall..."

Suddenly, an imagery popped in her head, of Adelia watching them like this, with shock on her face. Oh, it made her shiver... she'd show that bitch who Loki belonged to!

As that thought possessed her, she became almost wild in her movements, taking him so roughly, she knew that she'd be sore afterwards. But she couldn't stop, and that's how she found herself so close to an orgasm again...

**“M-my purpose is to beg you...” Loki panted. NORNS the pace she set was unrelenting! He was groaning and gasping from it, hardly able to form the words she demanded of him. “And-and pleasure you w-with my...F-FUCK!”**

**He clenched up and exploded in her, throbbing as wave after wave of orgasmic pleasure washed over him. Again, he pulled against the chains and flexed his muscles as it overtook him, pressing his forehead down on Iona’s shoulder.**

**“Oh, sweet Yggdrasil...** ** _Iona_ ** **...”**

She clenched around him the moment he began to throb, their moans and groans merging together as they came in unison. 

She couldn't stay in her cruel character anymore, and thus, she kissed him while her body went through its course of pleasure. 

For the next few minutes, they didn't move. She just kept herself adhered to him like a magnet, still not wanting to let go. She wondered if he had dissolved those chains now... she wanted to feel his arms around her once again. 

"Hold me," she whispered into his neck, no longer the voice of a cruel warrior lady.

**The sweetness in her tone nearly undid him after her false cruelty. The chains disappeared, and he wrapped his arms around her, still pressed inside her wonderful heat.**

**“Have I pleased you, my lady?” he said with a chuckle, enjoying the feel of her body against his.**

She smiled and kissed him again, then let out a little giggle. "This was so much fun. To pretend to be someone else for a while... and still be with you."

**He groaned a bit when she clenched around him as she giggled, but he was well and truly spent.**

**As much as he didn’t want to, he lifted her from him and stood, aching just a bit from being in that compromising position and having to maintain it while she rode him like a bilgesnipe tamer. But those aches would be a happy reminder throughout the day.**

**“Well, dear...I believe we must get a start on our day at this point. You know, royal duties: court to hold, nobles to wrangle, lives to care for. And then of course the feast is coming up...and I suppose you can’t wear that around all day, can you?”**

**With what was left of his seidr, he changed her clothing from the warrior’s outfit to something much more queenly...and ** ** _appropriate _ ** **for others to see.**

"Thank you," she sighed, still leaning against him. "But... keep that warrior's outfit with you. I want to wear it again sometime..."

She then looked at the clock and nearly hit her forehead with her palm. She was late for her appointment with Willa. 

"Oh no. I had promised to see Willa some ten minutes ago!" Quickly, she tried to compose herself, for she knew that she was still carrying that post-coital blush on her face. "Can you make my face a bit less red and heated?"

It was mostly a rhetorical question, and she was smiling as she watched Loki trying to right himself as well. She rose on her tiptoes and gave him a chaste kiss, then pulled away reluctantly. 

"We may look presentable on the face of it, but our visage tells the truth. Willa will be mad at me for keeping her waiting... oh, but I wouldn't trade this time with you for anything in the cosmos.”

**Her admission made his heart skip a beat. Even now, he was still pleasantly surprised that she ** ** _liked _ ** **to spend time with him - even more, that she prioritized it. It made him feel like maybe he was doing something right.**

**He touched her cheek gently and looked lovingly into her dazzling citrine eyes. “I think you look beautiful, darling,” he said quietly, kissing her on the forehead.**

**All of this most certainly didn’t reduce the blush in her cheeks.**

**With that, they took their leave of their chambers, Loki heading to the throne room, and Iona rushing to Willa’s workshop.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT TEST SUNDAY TIME!


	36. The Dress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iona dares to do something risky on Loki's Name's Day. And then an unwelcome guest pops up.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV (And later, Garth's POV)_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

Iona was thrilled.

No, BEYOND thrilled. 

It was Loki's Name Day, and the feast honouring him was about to start. She had made all the arrangements - with the queen mother's help, of course - and she was proud of her accomplishments. 

But that wasn't why she was so thrilled. 

As her handmaidens dressed and adorned her, she looked at herself in the mirror and smirked. She had planned this from the very moment she had left the royal chambers the day before. And with Willa's support, she’d been able to get things done quickly. 

Willa had been scandalized and had tried to persuade Iona to not go ahead with her plans. But Iona was not so weak minded, to be influenced by her seamstress.

She was a queen. _ The _ queen.

Now, as she stood and surveyed her ensemble in the mirror, she saw the blushes on the faces of the handmaidens. If they were reacting to it like that, she could only hope that Loki's reaction would be much more pronounced. 

After all, she had taken the advice of his double to heart... she was embracing her need for attention - specifically _ his _ \- and she was taking control of how she was perceived by everyone. Tonight, she wished to make Loki lose his mind with lust... 

The reactions of the other guests would just be the icing on the cake.

**Loki stood behind the closed doors to the hall, awaiting Iona.**

**What was ** ** _taking _ ** **her so long?**

**He had felt remiss in being late by a few minutes, but she was now coming up on ten minutes past scheduled. People were beginning to wonder when the royal couple would appear...loud enough that Loki could hear their speculations on the other side of the threshold.**

**Then, blessedly, he heard footsteps. ** ** _Her _ ** **footsteps - dainty little clacks along the stone in short, graceful steps. Only today...it sounded more like a victory march.**

** _Oh Norns, what has she done now...?_ **

**When she rounded the corner with her handmaidens all in tow, it became ALL too clear.**

**Loki’s eyes went wide, and his jaw practically hit the floor.**

Iona walked up to her husband with the grace and poise of a true queen, not letting his expression affect her. 

But nonetheless, seeing his jaw drop was incredibly satisfying. Just for a moment, he was showing his true emotions, and she reveled in causing that lapse in control. 

Even funnier was the fact that he was acting as though he had never seen her breasts. Well, perhaps not like _ this _\--showcased in the dress like an offering, her cleavage deep and the globes of her breasts shining with a pearlescent sheen.

"My lord husband and king, I do apologize for making you wait just a bit longer than usual," she said, coming to a stop right in front of him as her handmaidens dispersed. "It's your Name Day today, so can I hope for forgiveness?"

**Loki’s mouth was dry. He closed his eyes and tried to swallow a few times, but as soon as his eyes opened again, they were magnetized to her bust line**

**“What on...** ** _Iona, what are you doing_ ** **?!”**

**When he could finally tear his gaze away from her cleavage, he looked at her face, grinning suggestively at him.**

**The dress was...a piece of art. Willa had truly outdone herself. Gold fabric that made Iona look as though she were glowing, with blue and green accents flashing metallic in the pleats of the skirt. At the waistline, the boning of the corset hugged Iona’s torso like liquid and the shimmering material molded beautifully around her ribs, all culminating in the most perfectly presented set of breasts he had ever laid eyes on, commanding attention as though displayed upon a pedestal.**

**Her hair and makeup were...frankly, he had no idea. He could barely look away from her chest to turn forward and face the court as the doors opened and they were introduced with a fanfare. It took every ounce of willpower Loki had to pull himself together and greet the waiting crowd, knowing what they were seeing standing next to him.**

**Part of him worried about reputation...the part that played Allfather and managed tasks and handled negotiations. That part wondered what repercussions there would be...**

**But deep down, below all the posturing and formality required by the royal court - he was ** ** _fucking thrilled_ ** **. The uproar this would cause would be delicious, a spectacle spoken of for centuries.**

**It left him utterly torn.**

Well, the people of Asgard (and other realms) weren't any different than their king. They all had their eyes slipping to her bosom as she greeted them. To be honest, it made her blush almost constantly, but the thrill of making everyone lose their minds was just so delicious!

It was going to her head...

All the nobles and royals collected in the hall had eyes only for her. Some were even coming up to greet Loki more than once just to take a peek at her. 

And while it had been a special kind of gift from her to Loki, it was also working in spreading chaos all through the feast hall. It almost made her giggle, the way such a simple change could upend everything in a social setting...

"So, do you like it, Daddy?" she asked Loki once they had a moment alone, with the mead and wine being brought into the hall. "I tried to make it special for you."

**“Iona...I don’t know whether to yell at you or fuck you in the middle of this room...”**

**Loki’s voice held that telltale growl that he couldn’t help when he was desperately aroused. He was at war with himself - indignant anger and mischievous elation battled for dominance.**

**“When my other half suggested you ‘stand out’, I didn’t think you would take it to this extreme.”**

She turned towards him fully then, bothered by his tone. He really did sound as though he was both furious and aroused. 

Part of her was thrilled at it, and part of her was scared that he'd actually do what he was threatening to do. 

"Do you not like it? I mean, it isn't like I'm standing naked in front of everyone..." She brought her palm against his chestplate, looking up at him with the most innocent look she could muster. "I didn't think it'd be such a big deal, or, cause such an upheaval. I can go and change if you want... be more modest."

**“Don’t you ** ** _fucking_ ** ** dare,” he whispered, locking eyes with her. He firmly took her shoulders and pressed his forehead against hers.**

**“You wanted to make a statement; make it. People will be talking about this for ages...”**

**He released her and sat back in his chair, then gave her a wicked grin.**

**“I hadn’t any idea you could be so daring...”**

"Let's just say that I have gained inspiration from none other than my daring husband." She blushed as he kept staring at her intensely, as though he wanted to eat her. 

Oh Norns, she couldn't wait to leave the feast behind... she was already daydreaming about returning to the royal chambers, with Loki chasing her all over the rooms like a ravenous beast.

The thought sent a delicious shiver through her. 

She grasped her goblet and gobbled the mead in it like a fish out of water. She was suddenly so _ thirsty _.

As the feast proceeded, she and Loki shared some of their food, with him feeding her with his hands, and her returning the gesture, making sure that she was fully turned towards him to give him an eye-full of her bosom. 

He didn't disappoint her, giving her looks of hunger that were becoming more and more obvious as the mead and wine flowed.

She couldn't wait for the dancing to begin.

**The tone of the music changed, and Loki smiled at Iona, offering her his hand to lead her to the dance floor.**

**She took it gently, and he led her from the table to the large open space on the main floor. They headed to their place in the lead position.**

**“Ready? All eyes are on you...” he grinned as the music started up - and off they went. Twirling, gliding, spinning across the floor; Loki held his perfect frame and led her masterfully as the orchestra played on. The delighted smile on her face and the genuine laughter she made may have almost caused him to lose tempo once or twice. It was honestly the best dance he’d ever had.**

**Once the music stopped, they bowed and applauded the musicians. There would be about a half-minute before the next song started...**

**“Your majesty? Might I compliment your wardrobe choices this evening.” A strong male voice approached from Iona’s direction. Loki turned to see an Alfan nobleman, about his age, with a mess of curly red hair atop his head, addressing the Queen with an air of brash overconfidence and unsettling familiarity.**

**At first, Loki was confused - he’d never met this man before...but soon the dots connected in his mind…**

**Could it be? It ** ** _had_ ** ** to be…**

**It was Iona’s ex-lover, her ** ** _first_ ** ** lover.**

Iona almost froze in shock upon seeing Garth, lord of the Alfan marshlands, approach them with a knowing smirk on his face.

Norns... she hadn't expected him to attend this feast. He had never attended any of the previous ones, and he hadn't sent word of his arrival for _ this _ one. How did he slip her notice?

He must’ve been someone’s last minute pair-off.

What she couldn’t understand was why... why now? And what purpose did it serve him?

She glanced at Loki in panic, wondering if he could tell that she had a history with Garth. His face was blank and expectant, and she couldn't be sure of it.

"Lord Garth." She nodded solemnly, trying her best to ignore his remarks about her wardrobe. She didn't want to fan that fire. "How lovely to see you here. Are you enjoying the festivities?"

His smirk grew bigger in response. "I certainly am, especially now. I must say, Allmother, you have grown even more beautiful in your prime."

"Thank you." She blushed and turned towards Loki, hoping that Garth would wish him well and be done with it.

**Loki stared down his nose at the Alfan noble, glad that he had a natural height advantage. But it didn’t seem to intimidate or deter him...in fact, the shit-eating grin on his face widened as he approached.**

**“Your majesty,” he smiled and gave an overly formal bow. “Many congratulations and felicitations on this, your Name Day. I wish you years of happiness and prosperity.”**

**“And to you as well, Lord Garth,” Loki replied, equally as formal and distant. If it ** ** _was_ ** ** Iona’s first lover...Norns, could she have picked a worse one? He was positively smarmy, behaving like a used-chariot salesman trying to pass off a lemon as a luxury coach. He reeked of lies, and not in the way Loki appreciated.**

**As the lord took his leave, Loki leaned over and whispered to Iona. “So...is that who I think it is...?”**

"And who would that be, my lord husband?" she asked, acting as if she knew nothing about Garth. She simply looked sideways and stroked her long braid. 

As a server passed by, she grabbed a goblet of sweet mead and drank all its contents within seconds.

**Loki had to stifle a chuckle as she tried to play off his question - her reaction, if anything, was more convincing than if she had just told him.**

**“So it ** ** _is_ ** **...” he mused. “And here I never thought I’d have the honor of meeting the man who first introduced you to the pleasures of the flesh. I haven’t seen him at any of our gatherings before...what do you think is his motivation for attending this one?”**

Her face grew hot as he spoke of Garth, and it was all she could do to not cringe in response. 

"Please, Loki," she mumbled, squeezing the goblet in her hand. "Must you talk so callously of my past? I wish to forget it."

The more she wished to forget it, the more it came back to haunt her. Especially the way Garth had won her over. It had been so easy. She had been lured with sweet words and flowery poetry about love and its first blush.

Now it just made her feel stupid for falling for it.

"I don't know why he's here. His lands and estate are quite rich, and he has a thriving trade of natural tar reserves, which the _ dverger _love so much. So I thought it was due to his riches that he didn't see it important to come here and make nice with you."

**“I see...”**

**Loki’s mind was spinning with the possibilities, both political and personal. It was no coincidence that he had shown up today...though it was very likely a coincidence it happened to be the day Iona decided to wear THAT dress. He needed more information - what did he want?**

**Then his gaze fell on Iona and her...** ** _assets_ ** **. And he had an idea.**

**“Well, best you two go catch up. It’s been quite some time, hasn’t it? And I’m most curious as to why he has decided to grace us with his presence now.”**

**He put his lips to her ear, making sure to breathe softly on her sensitive skin. He grinned as the goosebumps spread across her flesh.**

**“Do you think you can discover that for me, sweetling?”**

"What... what do you mean?" she squeaked, then covered her mouth to modulate her voice back to normal again. "Loki, you cannot possibly mean it. I don't want to go and talk to him, especially not... not dressed like this. I don't want his lecherous gaze on me. I'm surprised that you're so cavalier about it!"

She grasped another goblet from a passing server, leaving the empty one on his tray. 

"Garth is probably just here to chase some Asgardian skirts, that's all." She glared at her smug looking husband from the rim of the goblet as she drank the mead.

**“Iona...even after all this time, you’re still an awful liar.”**

**He kept the beatific, kingly smile on his face as he spoke to her, but the tone of his voice was positively evil. And only she could hear it.**

**“You know as well as I do what needs to be done here. You hold sway over him, given your ** ** _history_ ** **. You’re on display for all the Nine Realms to behold. You’re the ** ** _Allmother_ ** **, the most powerful woman in Asgard and beyond. And he’s up to something. There’s no one better positioned to pull the truth from him than you...”**

**Then he kissed her cheek softly, whispering against her skin. “** ** _Own_ ** ** this, Iona. You are more magnificent than you let yourself believe. But ** ** _I_ ** ** see it. Everyone in this room sees it...and GARTH especially sees it.”**

She shivered as his words washed over her, mixing with the mead in her system. The image he was projecting in her mind, of herself as a powerful, seductive woman, was hard to resist.

She nodded then, pulling away from him finally. "So I just... just have to ask him about his plans? Try to get him to divulge what he wants?"

Uncertainty still marred her thoughts, but she felt more confident now, especially when she glanced in Garth's direction and found him watching her.

"I mean, I can do that much..."

She gave the Alfan a shy, docile smile, a reminder of her past self...

**“Good girl...” Loki whisper-growled, then he turned his attention to another one of the nobles who was approaching to wish him well.**

**Garth, on the other hand, had his gaze thoroughly focused on Iona. As soon as she made eye contact with him, he grinned...smiling at her in the same way he had all those years ago. A smile he had honed over the centuries and had awarded him with plenty an indecent tryst.**

**With one finger, he made a come-hither gesture, inviting her over to his place at the edge of the hall**.

"You haven't changed at all," Iona murmured as she approached him, swaying her hips in a seductive way. "Your smile is the same."

A server came over and she grabbed a goblet of wine to offer it to him. 

"What brings the lord of the fabled Alfan marshes to the realm eternal?" She blushed as his gaze inevitably slipped to her breasts. It was both a compliment and an embarrassment.

**Garth felt that familiar stirring in his loins as he took in the view of her body. She had been lovely when they had coupled back in Alfheim all those years ago, but now...**

**Now she was ravishing. She was a ** ** _queen_ ** **. But she was still that young, naive woman...he could see it in her eyes - nervous, presenting confidence but not really feeling it, trying to match his words and actions in poise but stumbling adorably in the process.**

**He had nearly forgotten about her, before word reached him that “a lady-in-waiting named Iona” was to be wed to the bastard king Loki. At first, he didn’t care; he didn’t recognize the name, and he had no interest in the Asgardian royal court anyway...but then her image began to make the rounds in noble courts after the wedding. THEN he recalled her plump little cheeks and those perky breasts and how she’d whimpered when he had breached her for the first time...and he could hardly believe his good fortune.**

**Suddenly, he had a ** ** _very _ ** **attuned interest in the Asgardian royal court...and what his relationship with the new Queen might do for him.**

**But, of course, he’d never say that to her face.**

**“It has been far too long since my family came to pay their respects to the Asgardian royalty. An oversight on my part, of course...and how I could have overlooked Asgard’s new queen? Well, I feel positively foolish for having taken this long to congratulate you on your new position, ** ** _Iona_ ** **.”**

"Lord Garth," she said demurely, clasping her hands together, further enhancing her cleavage. "I would ask you to refrain from calling me by my name here, especially in public. It would seem very... unseemly and too familiar."

Taking a deep breath, she looked up at him and batted her eyes slowly, watching keenly as his expression darkened. She didn't really like that look, but she bore it in order to keep him pliant and talking.

"You do not want to stir any rumours now. After all, I heard that you're betrothed to a Vana noblewoman as well. Come along, please. Let's take this to a more... private setting."

She turned slightly and began to walk towards a balcony. It was big, and it led to many hidden alcoves. Perhaps she could talk to him more frankly there, away from curious ears.

**He followed her out to the balcony, allowing her to stay several steps ahead so he could watch the way her hips and ass swayed while she walked. It was proving difficult to maintain his disaffected expression, given the feast for the eyes in front of him. A feast he had already sampled...**

**Perhaps he might even get another taste today, at this party. In the secluded alcoves reserved for such nefarious behavior...**

**His cock began to swell in his leathers.**

**Finally, they found a quiet, out-of-the-way spot, overlooking the garden but easily concealed by a mass of dangling ivy.**

**“Norns forbid we start any rumors, ** ** _Iona_ ** **,” he said, stepping into her personal space and using her familiar name again. His hand rested gently on her hip but went no further. “My betrothal is purely political; a sham, really. I hardly know the woman, but it will solidify an alliance that my family has been seeking for centuries...I’m not much attached to her, as you can see,” he practically purred.**

That hand on her hip made her nervous, but she tried her best to conceal it. 

"Really, Garth? I'm surprised... you were always waxing poetic about romance and courtship, I recall." She put her palms against his chest and let out a little giggle, hoping that it didn't sound like an edgy one. "What happened to your poet's spirit?"

Norns, she hoped that no one would happen to come to this little alcove. Her stance with Garth was far too intimate for a friendly chit-chat. And it was making her dearly uncomfortable.

_ Damn you, Loki... what have you pushed me into? _

**“Ah, the poet muse left me long ago, beaten into submission by responsibility, wealth...** ** _power_ ** **,” he leaned in a bit as he said that last word.**

**“And what about you? How did you end up marrying the ** ** _Allfather_ ** **, of all people? I hadn’t heard you and the ** ** _Fallen Prince_ ** ** were even courting...”**

The way he spoke to her, the way he was handling her... it was taking her back in time, and not in a good way. She was reminded of the way he had treated, then mistreated and ignored her after being intimate with her. He had taken all his pleasure from her young body and left her immediately. 

She hated to be reminded of that... 

She realized, then, that as he was leaning into her, she was progressively leaning away from him, her back arching with the arches in the banister of the balcony. 

She straightened herself up immediately, but that only brought her closer to him, making her breasts press against his leather clad chest. 

"It was more or less an arranged match, so to say," she said, brushing past him and stepping away to get some space between them. This meeting was turning far too intimate and illicit for her tastes, Loki's plans be damned. "But we grew to care for each other. There wasn't any courtship to go along with it. I agreed to the match, for it provided me with the things that I desired."

**“I see,” he said, taking her wrist gently and pulling her back to him. “So...you got out of it what you wanted. Just as I am doing with...um...I think her name is Mira? Or Myra?” He honestly couldn’t remember the name of the woman he was supposed to wed - not that it mattered. He had no intention of being a loyal husband to her anyway.**

**“Regardless...she’s no queen. She’s not the Allmother...”**

**He leaned forward, allowing his lips to brush her cheek as he held her arm firmly, keeping her close to him. She was so fragile, so weak...**

**“There is so much we could do for each other, Iona...”**

"Garth..." She squirmed in his grip, horrified to feel the evidence of his arousal pressing against her from behind. "We cannot... please, truly tell me... why are you here? You had all but forgotten about me after you had ended our courtship overnight. I hadn't thought that you were still interested in me..."

She scrunched her eyes close as she felt his lips begin to travel down her neck. While she loved it when Loki did it to her... this was making her feel thoroughly disgusted. 

"Garth, stop, please... if Loki sees us, there will be chaos and destruction."

In the same breath, she internally cursed Loki for convincing her to go on this little escapade. Why had she agreed? Damnit, she needed to lay off the mead...

**“Let it rain down on us like fire from the sky...I would face any chaos and destruction simply for the feel of your skin, the sound of your moans, the delicious heat of your body...”**

**Apparently the poetic muse had found its way back to him. He nipped at the shell of her ear and pulled her even closer, his body thrumming with erotic need.**

**He was about to take a queen...**

**“We can be so good together...you in Asgard, influencing the Allfather, and I in the marshes, controlling the supply of tar bindings for all the Nine Realms. Surely, you can see how our ** ** _interaction_ ** ** could benefit us both. In politics and in pleasure…”**

**He slid his hands up from her hips and grabbed her breasts, squeezing those perfect orbs and groaning as lust coursed through him. He knew his touch would influence her, make her pliant and accepting...just like all those many moons ago. He WANTED her, and what she could do for him...and he would ** ** _get _ ** **what he wanted.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for not updating on Sunday. Me, Latent-Thoughts, is ze culprit again. My mind was pre-occupied with numerous things and hence, I forgot. Eep!  
We're totes not sorry for that chapter ending, though.  



	37. Resilience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lord Garth learns a very harsh and well-deserved lesson. And Iona shares a few secrets with Loki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TIME FOR TEST SUNDAY! WOOHOO~

** IMPORTANT NOTES **

**Bold Text** = _Garth's POV (initially), then Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

"Garth, stop...  _ stop _ !" She pushed his hands away and turned around, her eyes wide with shock and inadvertent lust. 

It made her feel so damn guilty. She wanted to slap herself for letting this charade go so far. 

"You've never loved me! You've only used me in the past. What are your true intentions now? Why have you come here, after all these months since Loki's coronation? What do you want from me?"

**Garth looked at her, shocked that she had shirked his advances...no woman had ** ** _ever_ ** ** denied him. How dare she...Allmother or not, Iona was still just a weak, helpless little thing. And he would get what he wanted from her.**

**“I didn’t need ** ** _love_ ** ** to get you to spread your legs for me, did I?”**

**He took a step closer, forcing her back against the wall. “Wouldn’t it just be awful if the entire royal court learned about our torrid affair? That the Allfather can’t satisfy his new wife? It would be a shame to ruin your sterling reputation over something as simple as a misconstrued bit of endearment...”**

**He placed his hands on either side of her head, caging her against the stone behind her.**

**“All I want is a good word here and there, Iona. A bit of extra sway in how policy is made. Certainly you can accommodate that minor request?”**

**He leaned in and kissed her possessively, pressing her head back against the wall with the force of it.**

When he dared to kiss her with such audacity, her resolve to remain passive cracked. While he was busy trying to deepen the kiss, she lifted her skirts and straight up kicked him between the legs.  _ Hard. _

When he reared back in shock, she raised her fist and swung at him with full force. The punch landed right on his nose, disorienting him further. As he stumbled back, she punched him again, this time on the side of his head. 

He fell against the banister, grasping the rails to balance himself again, but she was quicker, rage fueling her actions now.

"You rotting scum of the marshes," she growled, stomping the sharp metallic heel of her shoe right into his foot, making him cry out. "I will  _ end  _ you!"

Just as she retrieved her dagger from her pocket and reared back for a stab, she felt a familiar grasp on her hand, stopping her midway.

**Loki held Iona’s arm, gently enough not to hurt her, but firmly enough to keep her from murdering her would-be seducer.**

**“That’s quite enough,” Loki said flatly, but the fury in his eyes was incongruent with the calm in his voice. “I think he gets the point, sweetling.”**

**Loki had seen the entire interaction - the way Garth had pushed himself onto her, the way she tried to politely (then less politely) halt his advances, how he had threatened to spread rumors against the both of them if she didn’t comply.**

**It made his stomach churn and his blood boil. But his Name Day feast wasn’t the time or place to unleash the unholy rage he now held for this piece of trash. No, now was the time to simply strike the fear of a God into his heart.**

**“Lord Garth, was it?” Loki sneered. “It seems the marshes suit you well...seeing as you are the lowliest bottom feeder I’ve ever had the displeasure of laying my eyes upon! What exactly were you doing to my ** ** _wife_ ** **?”**

**Garth remained speechless, bleeding from his nose and weeping from the pain Iona had inflicted.**

Iona dropped her hand and stepped away from the two of them, letting Loki take over. She still felt so disturbed and utterly disgusted. 

Wrapping her arms around herself, she simply watched mutely as Loki grabbed Garth by his collar and whispered something in his ear. She couldn't decipher the words, but it looked like he was threatening him, for Garth's legs were trembling now. 

Good. That bastard needed a nice reminder of why Loki was both famous  _ and  _ notorious in the Nine Realms. One does not simply blackmail the ruthless King of Asgard and his Queen...

"Can't you just... kill him?" she asked in a wobbly voice, still standing at a distance. "It'll make things easier for all of us."

**Throwing Garth to a heap on the ground, Loki turned to his queen. While he appreciated her desire to “end him”, as she had said before, it wouldn’t do for now.**

**“Iona, dear, we cannot kill ** ** _every _ ** **noble who injures our ego or threatens our well-being. There would be none left.”**

**Garth started trying to crawl away, and Loki stomped down on his leg without even looking at him, breaking the bone below the knee. Garth screamed...but no sound came out, which seemed to be quite a surprise to him. He tried speaking, crying, yelling - nothing came out. And now he was bleeding all over the balcony.**

**Loki just smiled with smug satisfaction.**

**“That’s what the ** ** _dungeons_ ** ** are for, my dear. And I’m certain dear Lady ** ** _Mirna of the Vanir_ ** **,” Loki said loudly as he stared daggers at Garth, “will be glad to know she has dodged a charging bilgesnipe when she hears of the transgressions her fiancé has made. Suffice to say, their betrothal is no longer sanctioned.”**

**Garth continued to silently suffer as the Einherjar came and collected him, carrying him off to the lowest level of the palace. Loki would deal with him later...maybe. Or maybe he would forget he was down there. Either way, he was no longer a problem.**

**He looked at his dear, sweet Iona, enraged as a hornet in a kicked nest and flushed red to boot, the visible fury covering her cheeks, neck, and chest, cresting into her beautifully displayed cleavage.**

**She was a vision...and he wanted her. ** ** _Now_ ** **.**

**“Sweetling. Let us retire to our chambers - I’d like to help you relax after your ordeal.”**

She was still looking at the space where Garth was lying only moments ago, bleeding and silently screaming. 

"Wh-What about the feast?" she asked in a small voice, clutching her dagger to her heart. "It's your Name Day... he almost ruined it. I had planned for it for weeks. If we leave the celebrations, would it not look bad?"

She looked up at him then, and her eyes narrowed to slits. 

"I'm mad at you too! For telling me to go to him! How could you?!"

**Loki felt a pang of guilt as she yelled at him. Yes, she had put a lot of time and effort into planning this feast. Yes, he had riled her before the ceremony and stoked her jealousy. And yes, he had pushed her into flirting with Garth to get information. Which she had...but it shouldn’t have gone as far as it did.**

**He had underestimated what an ass Iona’s first lover was. But that certainly wasn’t an excuse for putting her in that position.**

**“I’m...sorry.”**

**He took a few steps closer and gently took the dagger from her, just in case. She was still fuming, but he could tell that she was nervous as well.**

**“I was testing you again. Seeing how you might handle the situation...and frankly, I fully expected you to excel at it. I did not expect the ** ** _former_ ** ** Lord Garth to be so...unrelentingly tactless.”**

**With that, he carefully wrapped his arms around her, protecting her, hugging her close. She was trembling, and he couldn’t tell if it was from rage or fear.**

**“Of course we can go back to the feast. Whatever you feel up to, darling.”**

"I don't want to go back to the feast. I feel like a mess, I AM a mess... but what about my duty?" she mumbled into his chest as she clutched him tightly, breathing in his familiar scent to calm herself. 

The past half hour of being around Garth and his obnoxiously intense perfume had been an ordeal. 

"I'd have told you how much of a scoundrel he is had you asked me. I just... I'm an imbecile too, for letting all the attention get to my head. I just want to forget all of this."

**“Iona...”**

**Loki pulled back just slightly, enough to be able to look at her gorgeous golden eyes.**

**“I know how much this hurt you, and how it scared you. But...”**

**He put his forehead against hers again. The intimacy of it made chills rush down his spine, and he closed his eyes and smiled before meeting her gaze once more.**

**“You are SO strong, my dear. Everything you’ve been through, everything I’VE put you through...you’ve conquered it and grown from it. I test you because I am yet to find the limit of your abilities - and each time, I am impressed.**

**“There will always be fiends like Garth in your life. And while you are welcome to excuse yourself from the rest of the feast...I think you should stay. Word about his indiscretion will travel quickly, and you have the opportunity to frame it as you wish. Do you want the story to be that he so traumatized you that you needed to excuse yourself to recover? Or...that his crass actions were merely a desperate attempt to gain some influence with the royal family, and the new Allmother put him in his place?”**

She blinked repeatedly as she listened to him. She was still angry at him for putting her through this ordeal, but he also had a point. His logic was impeccable.

Bastards like Garth were always lurking about, and she could be facing them at any time. She needed to make herself more resilient. 

Still, she used this moment to lean into him and simply take strength from his presence. She needed it to remove the nervousness from her visage. 

"What story are we spreading? That he tried to lay a hand on me?" she asked him after taking a deep, fortifying breath. She nuzzled into his neck as she spoke, both of them still hidden in the alcove, away from prying eyes. "We need to keep the story consistent. I quite like the one where he tried to lay a hand on me and I laid my favoured dagger on him."

She tried to search his clothes for the pocket hiding her dagger then, but it was like looking for a way out through a labyrinth. 

"Give it back to me," she said, almost in a petulant tone. "If I want to make a statement when I get back in there, I need your help with it."

**He materialized the little dagger and gently slid it back into the pocket where she kept it. The insinuating move wasn’t lost on either of them. He grinned.**

**“I’d say...well, it’s a bit unusual for me but...let’s let the truth speak for itself. He’s an old acquaintance, you two went to catch up, and he behaved in a manner that required more than the usual polite resistance. He already has a reputation as a cad, it will hardly be a surprise that he finally pushed it too far with the wrong woman.”**

**He placed his hand on her hip, just as Garth had done...but he knew it would be much more welcome.**

**“How does that sound? I’ll backup whatever story you’d like.”**

She nodded, still pressing herself into him. Her breasts were now nearly popping out from her bodice, squished against his chest as they were. 

"But I want it known that I was the one who made him bleed. I would have, had you not intervened..." She tilted her head up and pressed a lingering kiss to his jaw, her eyes fluttering in satisfaction. She wanted to suck on his skin, taste it on her lips till she forgot about Garth completely. "I want the others to know that I can make men bleed if they step out of line."

**The controlled fury in her voice surprised and, frankly, aroused him. And the sight of her breasts pressed against him...**

**They MAY very well need to excuse themselves for a bit. Fortunately, they were already in a secluded alcove.**

**“Well of course. That’s the best part of the story - the only reason he’s in the dungeon and not the mortuary is because I happened to come out to check on you, as you had been absent for longer than anticipated.”**

**He turned his face to her and brushed his lips against hers, his eyes involuntarily closing at the light touch. “You are a fierce little minx, aren’t you...”**

"I may not be a warrior, but I do know how to fight back," she murmured against his lips, bringing her arms around his neck, pressing him further into the alcove. "You're the only one on whom it doesn't seem to work, for obvious reasons."

She deepened the kiss then, sliding her tongue across his, moaning into his mouth in a needy way. She didn't want to let go of him. 

Norns, why was she acting like this?

Perhaps this was a way for her psyche to gain some balance back.  _ Just assault the husband till the nerves and the adrenaline goes away... _

**He accepted her kiss and her touch eagerly, wrapping his arms around her waist and letting her set the pace. He was happy to help her relax in whatever way she could...especially in this way.**

**Surreptitiously, he cast a privacy spell around them, blocking anyone outside the alcove from seeing or hearing them. Then he pushed her back gently and grinned, carefully removing his helm and setting it aside on a stone outcropping. **

**“Iona...I have been wanting to do this since I first laid eyes on you in this dress...”**

**He cupped her breasts in his hands...then pressed his face deep into her cleavage, burrowing in with his nose and cheeks as deeply as he could. He chuckled as he heard her surprised giggles.**

**“This...is the best Name Day ever,” he said, his voice severely muffled within her bosom. Then he inhaled deeply and blew forcefully into the spot where her breasts came together, causing an incredibly unseemly sound to emanate from her chest.**

She couldn't stop her giggles. Norns, they were acting like adolescent youths. 

"Loki!" She slapped him on his spaulder, squeaking as he continued to bury his face into her cleavage. "Just... Oh, stop now!... Just open the fastenings in the back, and they're all yours."

While he was busy playing with her breasts, she took the opportunity to cup her hand over his manhood, which was already standing at full attention. 

"I'm happy that you think this is the best Name Day you've ever had, and I want to make it even better for you,  _ Daddy _ ," she rasped, just as he finally freed her breasts, opening the dress halfway through.

**Her words, her touch, her exposed breasts...**

** _That’s it. No more games._ **

**He started hiking up the massive amount of fabric that made up the skirt of her dress - Norns it was heavy, even for him! And cumbersome. He continued to try and find his way around the huge gown, grabbing and pulling and grunting in frustration, until he gave up.**

**“It seems you were better protected from intruders than I thought!” he chuckled. “Fortunately, I always have a backup plan.”**

**With a flourish, he began to draw his seidr to remove the dress from his wife by force...then realized she might want to keep this particular garment. So instead, he simply unfastened all the buttons and stays at once, letting the gown fall at her feet and leaving her standing naked in the alcove.**

**“There we go!” he said with a sigh, relieved, and he opened his breeches to release his manhood. “Now be a dear and turn around. Put your hands on the wall.”**

Daintily, she picked up the dress and put it aside, out of their way. She didn't want to damage it. It was a treasure to her now.

"Oh, what if someone happens to visit the gardens below?" she asked with wide eyes, though her body was obeying him immediately. "Will they be able to see us?"

All these months being married to the god of  _ shamelessness _ , and she was still worried about propriety. Old habits and all...

As her palms flattened against the wall, she felt him step right behind her and pull her flush against him. His manhood was nudging into her behind, looking for an opening. Hence, she widened her stance and helped it along.

**Loki rolled his eyes. “Have they ever been able to see us? Of course not - I’m a sorcerer darling, and a damn good one at that; they’ll only ever see what I want them to see.”**

**He found her opening and slowly pressed himself inside, groaning as her warmth and slick encased him.**

**“Ohhhh this never gets old,” he growled, gripping her hips and guiding her movements.**

She moaned as he breached her, closing her eyes against the sensation of being filled. Yes, he was right... this feeling never got old.

"Mmmm... sometimes... I feel really naughty," she uttered the words between gasps and groans as he picked up a quick rhythm. "And I imagine you making me do some really bad things... _really bad_."

**“Tell me...” he groaned, feeling mirth and lust mixing in his chest. “What bad things do you imagine I would make you do?”**

**He pulled her close and stopped moving, simply filling her and pressing against her cervix. He felt her legs begin to shake against his intrusion, but he held her firm.**

She cried out as he suddenly pulled her fully in his arms and pushed his hard flesh deep inside her. 

"Oh! Ohhh!" She trembled and squirmed as her body rested completely on his invading column of flesh, with it pressing against something inside her that made her see stars. "Oh  _ Daddy _ ... they're very bad thoughts... of you taking me where others can see, of you deliberately making me  _ f-fuck  _ you with witnesses around. I feel bad for thinking about them... that's not how I am. But they make me so..." She let out a squeak as he ground into her sensitive spot, the stars bursting behind her eyes like firecrackers. "Oh Norns!"

Just like that, she was coming, shaking helplessly as she lost herself to pleasure.

**Loki grinned as she clenched around him. Just the thought of being witnessed in acts of depravity was enough to make her cum without him even needing to move? Oh yes...they would certainly be exploring ** ** _this _ ** **more...**

**He let her ride out the orgasm on his still-rockhard cock, holding her so she could lose control without losing her position. Oooh, he loved feeling her coming apart upon him while he remained firm and steady. The sense of control was ** ** _overpowering_ ** **.**

**When her body finally stopped shaking, he lowered her gently to her hands and knees, still within her, and took to his knees behind her. He slowly began pumping in and out, relishing the little noises and involuntary twitches he manifested in his wife.**

**“So tell me more about this fantasy, Iona,” he said, trying to keep his voice even while he pleasured himself in her cunt. “Where would it happen? What would I command you to do? Help me understand what you like...”**

"Oooh, wh-what...." She panted, hard, as he kept thrusting into her without breaking his rhythm. It was too much for her, since she had just come apart, but he was relentless. 

The wet, slapping sounds of their flesh coming together resounded in the quiet corner, mixed with his deep groans and her soft cries.

"S-Surrounded by people, you and I," she began to murmur, seeing that he wanted to hear it. Her face burned as she tried her best to articulate it. "You just... treat me like your toy, your wanton whore, and take me in front of them. And they... oh!... they rejoice. Oh Norns, this is bad... You command me to be bare, and you put a leash on me."

**“A leash? Very interesting...”**

**The image wove itself together in his mind: prim and proper Iona, naked on all fours on a stage in front of an audience, a collar around her throat, a delicate leash leading from its clasp and into his gloved hand, feeling the weight of the riding crop in the other...**

**Just the thought of it pushed him over the edge.**

**With another few throaty grunts, he released, shuddering as the orgasm washed over him, the still picture of Iona’s fantasy chiseled into his memory.**

**“That was...quite the description, dear.”**

"It's just... I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm not like that," she mumbled, repeating herself in her near thoughtless state of bliss. 

So happy she was in her post-coital glow, that she almost wanted to lie down on the floor and forget about the rest of the night. But Loki didn't let her. He lifted her up and cleaned both of them with magic, then helped her put her dress back on.

**“Of course, you’re not. It’s the novelty of it that makes the fantasy desirable, sweetling. A new experience, a thrilling interlude away from the mundane...it’s positively addictive, isn’t it?”**

**He kissed her cheek sweetly and brushed a strand of hair away from her face, looking deep into her eyes and losing himself for a moment in their beauty.**

**“You’ve come so far, darling. And there is so much more I can show you. I look forward to continuing your... ** ** _education_ ** **. And this should come as no surprise...but there ** ** _will_ ** ** be a test.”**

**He chuckled when she slapped him playfully on the arm** .

"Always with the tests," she muttered, gently fussing over his clothes, then hers. "Am I presentable now?"

He gave her a short nod, a smirk lining his wicked lips. That smirk just made her wet all over again...

"All right," she said, ignoring the return of her arousal. "Give me your hand now."

**Loki did as she asked and extended his hand to her, raising an intrigued eyebrow as he watched her expression and tried to guess what she had in mind...**

Quickly, she retrieved her dagger from her dress pocket and brandished it at Loki. 

His eyebrow further rose up his forehead as he watched her, though he didn't pull his hand away. 

She slashed his hand on the side then, painting the dagger red in his blood. "I needed it to look genuine. Now, be a good husband and heal yourself before you come in after me."

With that, she gave him a dramatic wink and then walked away, heading back to the feast with the dagger still clutched in her hand. She wasn't concealing it. At all.

**Loki just stared after her as she shimmied away from him, leaving him bleeding on the balcony. Just like the last man who had gotten close to her that day.**

**With a disbelieving shake of his head, he cast the healing magic on his hand and watched as his skin knit itself together.**

**Iona continued to surprise him almost daily, something he had not expected when he’d decided she would be his queen. But now, he realized he wouldn’t have it any other way...**

**With another chuckle to himself while thinking of all the mischief he and his wife could get into, he walked back into his Name Day feast to corroborate the story of her heroic defense of her propriety.**


	38. Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki gives Iona her Name Day gift.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

**Loki had been eagerly awaiting this moment since his Name Day.**

**Iona’s was only a month after his, and her celebration had been quite lovely - not nearly as grand as his own, but that was to be expected. And frankly, she had wanted a more subdued soirée...fewer guests, a more intimate gathering...better food. He got the sense that she was weary of large gatherings and ceremonies for the moment. **

**And he was very glad Lady Adelia wasn’t in attendance. She had sent her regrets ahead of the invitation, citing prior engagements, just as a trained noble would do when they ** ** _really_ ** ** didn’t want to be somewhere. Although part of him still longed to watch THAT cat fight, as one-sided as it would be; Iona’s ferocity regarding Lord Garth had given her enough of a reputation that no one had dared step out of line with her since then.**

**He was very proud of how she was coming into her own as Allmother...and today he was going to reward her.**

**He found her in their sitting room, reading next to the window and munching on her favorite chocolate-covered dried fruits.**

**“Hello, sweetling,” he purred as he approached, giving her a kiss on the cheek as he joined her on the padded windowsill. “Good book?”**

Iona put the book aside and kissed him fully on the lips, running a hand through his hair. She loved to play with it whenever she could, it was so soft and silky.

"It's pretty interesting - a book on Midgardian politics, sent to me by none other than your lovely sister-in-law. It gives me a different perspective on statecraft." She shrugged, popping a chocolate covered almond in her mouth. "What are you up to, your majesty?"

**He leaned into her hand as she scratched his scalp, smiling beatifically. Norns, she certainly was learning all his soft spots.**

**“Jane is ** ** _not _ ** **my sister-in-law. Not yet, anyhow. Thor needs to do the honorable thing and wed her properly first...” He was going to say more, but her fingers were positively magic… “And I haven’t given you your Name Day gift yet,” he said as he settled into her, fairly nuzzling against her shoulder like a cat. “I’m positively anxious to do so.”**

**But not anxious enough to stop her from massaging his head like that.**

Iona bubbled with excitement when he mentioned her Name Day gift. She was expecting something special... something unique and completely Loki....

"What is it?" she asked eagerly, putting her hands to work on his scalp, knowing that he loved it as much as she did.

**“Mmmmm-not telling,” he smiled as he curled up on the windowsill and rested his head in her lap, unceremoniously pushing the book and the fruits out of his way. Those paltry items would not stop him from receiving his lady’s blessings...**

**“I will say...we’re going on a trip. Not for long, just overnight. But I’m certain you’ve never been before...”**

**NORNS how did she ** ** _do_ ** ** that? He felt tingles riding up and down his spine - it was just incredible what she could do to him.**

Iona gasped in delight. An adventure! To somewhere she had never been before! This was exciting!

"I can hardly wait for it, husband. When do we leave?" she asked, simply combing her fingers through his luxurious hair now. "Don't tease me like that... I can hardly keep my excitement contained, and you know it."

She looked down at him with a pout.

**“Laaater...” he moaned, now stretching out awkwardly, as the sill was too small for him to extend on it fully. But her hands in his hair made his body do some strange, cat-like things, and this was one of them. It just felt so good!**

**“I was coming to get you so we could leave immediately, but--AH!” Loki yelped as he fell off her lap and onto the floor when she jumped up and squealed with glee.**

**He just chuckled, gently chastising himself for ** ** _not_ ** ** seeing that coming.**

Iona was beside herself with excitement.

"Oh, do I get dressed up?! What should I wear? A fully layered dress?" she asked, getting louder with each question. "Tell me, Loki! I need to prepare myself for this."

She skipped to the dressing room and opened her wardrobe wide, quickly rifling through the dresses.

**Loki sat up on the floor, dangling one arm over his knee as he supported himself on the other and eyed her keenly.**

**“Well, what you need to wear won’t be in your closet, dearest.”**

**And he left it at that, enjoying teasing her.**

Iona turned to him and eyed him suspiciously. "Are you trying to give me a lesson in toys again?"

Not that she didn't like playing with the toys that he introduced her to, something about this gift of his was sounding off to her... he was looking positively mischievous, just like when he was about to trick someone.

**He laughed and stood, walking to her and putting his hands on her shoulders. “No dear, we’ll save the toys for another night. But you don’t have any outfits that would be appropriate for where we’re going...”**

**With that, she began to shimmer with seidr. Her dress melted away (and reappeared in her wardrobe unharmed...Norns, he did NOT need another scolding from Willa!), and when his magic receded, Iona was in a very different attire than she had become accustomed to as Allmother.**

**She now wore grey suede ankle-high boots with a small decorative tassel on the outside of each. The white jeans fit her shapely legs snugly, and the comfortable grey knit top with the oversized collar drooping gently down from her neck both flattered her form and kept it well covered. The grey felt coat that fell from her shoulders to her calves gave her almost the silhouette of a cape. And her hair came loose from its tight plaits, falling gracefully down her back and held half-up by a gemstone barrette.**

**At the same time, Loki changed from his royal robes to a pair of polished leather boots, tailored blue jeans, a brown belt and a casual, tight, dark green shirt underneath a sturdy black peacoat. His hair pulled itself back into a low-slung ponytail as he grinned at Iona’s surprised reaction to the changes.**

**“...because we’re going to Midgard.”**

Iona's jaw dropped. "Midgard? Right now? Do we not need to inform Thor and the others… those avenging warriors?"

She looked down at herself, at the strange outfit she was now wearing. Well, she HAD worn leggings before, but not as a norm. After all, she wasn't a warrior...

The clothes were surprisingly comfortable and warm.

**“We don’t need to inform anyone, sweetling. This is ** ** _our _ ** **night. It just so happens that the place I want to take you is in that realm. If it were somewhere else, we’d go there.”**

**He took her hands in his. “Now, we’re not taking the Bifrost for...reasons. But I know a way to Midgard via a secret pathway I found when I was younger. You just need to trust me, and we’ll arrive in no time. Are you ready?”**

She nodded, trusting him fully. "But what if something goes wrong here in Asgard?"

A typical ruler's worry... she couldn't help but worry about the kingdom they were leaving behind, even for a night.

**“Then we’ll come back,” he grinned. “Heimdall knows how to reach me in an emergency, but I daresay we shall be fine for an evening. Now hold on to me...”**

**He almost shivered with delight as she wrapped her arms around him, and in a flash he transported them out of the palace. Instantly, they were outside, next to one of Asgard’s great waterfalls falling off into nothingness. They were on a small outcropping of rock, just big enough for the two of them, and he led her carefully around the ledge and behind the water.**

**“We need to get to that glowing stone over there!” he shouted over the noise of the torrent. “Keep holding my hand - it can get slippery!”**

Iona followed his lead as they walked into the cave behind the waterfall. She could now see the glowing rock he was talking about. It shone with an eerie green glow from deep within.

"Did you make that rock? Did you imbue it with your magic?" she asked curiously, her eyes observing her surroundings keenly. "This is like a hideout."

She imagined a younger Loki coming here to hide from Frigga's scoldings, and then figuring out the secret pathway on his own. He did have a habit of going off on his own for hours on end, and now she knew what he did when he disappeared...

**When they finally reached the rock, he placed his hand on it, and put hers there as well.**

**“Yes and no. It’s complicated...but if you want to know about the inter-dimensional seidr-manipulative corollaries I used to make it work, I will tell you all the boring details when we return. But for now...”**

**The stone glowed brighter, and soon they were whisked away, flying through the cosmos on a small rainbow bridge similar to that used by the Bifrost, using the same dark energy. It only took a few moments before they landed.**

**It was nighttime here, and there was a chilly fog rolling through the skyscrapers that stretched up from the sidewalk. They had appeared in a dark alleyway, but the brightly lit street was easy to see.**

**Loki led her carefully out to the bustling thoroughfare... it was alive with activity! Hundreds of people and cars milled about, and the street sign near the stoplight read “Jones St.” In the distance, a huge orange bridge stretched across a massive body of water, it’s top hidden by the thick clouds.**

**“My dear Iona,” Loki whispered in her ear, the capricious smile apparent in his voice. “Welcome to San Francisco.”**

Her eyes widened as she looked at the city. It was so  _ different  _ from what she had seen of Midgard in the past!

It was now looking more like that fringe realm of Xandar that everyone was talking about these days.

"Oh Norns, Loki, I thought it would be less...  _ populated _ . Are we going to Thor's new home? Wait, that's not in San Fran...frisko? Franco?" She shook her head, knowing that she was getting the name muddled. "That's in New York, right?"

She bounced as she chattered, feeling nervous and giddy at the same time.

**Loki put his arm around her, feeling a bit of a chill in the humid night air...and if he could feel it, she must be near shivering herself.**

**“Right, Thor is in New York. This is roughly 850 leagues from there, on the shore of a separate ocean. Honestly, it’s incredible how massive this planet is...but that’s not important right now...” He took his arm in hers, and led her down the road.**

She huddled closer to him as he spoke, wrapping her arms around his middle.

"So what are we doing here? Is this the place for shopping? Jane told me that she sometimes takes Thor shopping in a big market. Are we going to shop for things?"

**They walked for several blocks, past neon-lit storefronts and interesting characters on the sidewalk. Loki pointed out several places of interest, including a few “historical buildings” (“Yes, they’ve been here for all of ** ** _100 years_ ** **!” he laughed as they walked by), but before they reached their destination, Loki backed her up against a brick wall, leaning over her with his hand next to her head.**

**“Listen, Iona,” he said gently but with a hint of urgency. “This place where we’re going to, I haven’t been back for several years, but...they’ll remember me. I used to visit regularly before...”**

**His gaze became unfocused for a moment, as it often did when those horrible memories surfaced. But with a deep breath, he pushed them away and looked into Iona’s curious eyes once again.**

**“Here, they know me as ** ** _Luke_ ** **. And I think we should call you...** ** _Anne_ ** **. How does that sound, darling?”**

**He grinned, and suddenly his look became more feral and dark...even his teeth seemed sharper in the dim light of the street lamps.**

"Umm, I'm fine with it, if you are," she mumbled, feeling even more nervous now. "I suppose it is safe to assume that we're not going shopping?"

She shivered as he ran his palms up to her breasts and cradled them gently. His expression, on the other hand, was anything but gentle. 

"Are you going to tell me more about this place?"

**“What, and ruin the surprise?”**

**He chuckled and backed away, extending his hand to her and inviting her to take it.**

She took his hand, smiling tentatively. "I see. But you don't have to imitate a wolf in anticipation for it. I feel like I'm about to be devoured."

She giggled when he growled in response.

When they entered the building, it was quite dark inside. Even the furnishings were dark. How strange. If she didn't know better, she'd think they were at a Svartalfar establishment.

While she looked around with uncertainty, Loki moved confidently, like a prowling panther. He introduced himself and handed over a card, then indicated to her. It was a hushed conversation, and she could barely make any sense of it.

Like most things with her husband, she shrugged it away and hoped for the best.

**Loki led her through the reception area and down a long, narrow hallway. It was red-lit, and the muted sound of thumping bass could be heard coming from the door at its end.**

**But, standing in front of that door was a massive hulk of a man: 6’7” and made of pure muscle. Even by Asgardian standards, he was intimidating. He wore a tight black shirt and even tighter black jeans, and he narrowed his eyes as they came closer, staring intensely at Loki...**

**Then he took out a pair of spectacles, placed them on his nose, and broke out in a genuinely thrilled smile.**

**“Oh, LUUUUKE! Honey, it’s so good to see you again!” The giant grabbed Loki and pulled him into a bear-hug, while Loki simply laughed heartily and returned it as best as he could. “How LONG has it been?! Gosh, my EYES are just getting so terrible in dim light these days, but that's what happens when you get older, right?”**

Iona just blinked at the man in surprise. Only moments ago, he looked like he was about to throw a hammer twice the size of Thor's and make a warrior's cry for battle. 

Now, not so much...

Well, wasn't this place full of surprises.

While Loki made small talk with the man, Iona just shuffled around and observed the door he was guarding. The loud, thumping music coming from beyond it gave her the impression that there was a big feast being held in there. 

**“And who is ** ** _this_ ** ** adorable little muffin?” The giant man looked right at Iona and smiled brightly. “Haven’t seen you here before, have I, sweetheart?”**

**Loki chuckled and put his arm around her shoulders. “Actually, Dorian...this is my wife, Anne. We just married a few months ago.”**

**“You DID?! Oh Lukey-baby I’m so HAPPY for you! OH, CONGRATULATIONS!”**

**He bent down and hugged both of them tightly, nearly squeezing the breath out of Loki yet again. Fortunately...this time it was a quick hug.**

**Dorian looked brightly at Iona and put a large hand on her shoulder. “You are SUCH a lucky girl! Luke is a caaaaatch! I tried to get him for myself but I am just AWFUL with long-distance relationships.” He sighed sarcastically and looked wistfully at Loki. “And now you’re gone for good. Woe is me! I’ll never find a good man.”**

**Loki laughed. “Oh, don’t give up hope just yet, my friend. I’m sure there’s some precious little twink out there just waiting to tattoo your name on his ass.”**

**Dorian just grinned and blushed a little. “Oh, you know me so well. So, need the changing room tonight, or just heading straight in?”**

**“We’ll need the changing room, thank you. It’s Anne’s first time at an establishment like this.”**

**“Oh, sweetie! You’re in for a TREAT!” Dorian winked at her. “Just remember, the universal safety word is ‘red light’ if anything gets too intense, ok?”**

**With that, he opened the door, and the music boomed out from the dark room inside.**

**“You know where to go. It was nice to see you again Luke!” Dorian shouted as Loki waved goodbye and the door closed behind them.**

Iona was wide-eyed and not feeling all that confident suddenly. This place was unlike anything she had seen before. Midgardians certainly had advanced a LOT in the last century or so.

There were flashing lights of all colours, people writhing together to the tune of booming music, people against the walls, drinking and... hmm... doing questionable things to each other.

"Umm... husband, where do we have to go now?" she asked as she stuck herself closer to Loki. Crowds always made her uncomfortable. "Also, was that mountain of a man your lover in the past?"

**Loki could barely hear her over the blaring music. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, taking in the familiarity of it. So much had happened since he’d last visited...it felt good to be back. And his heart was literally thundering with excitement as he led Iona along the back wall and to a door painted white.**

**He opened it and pulled her inside a more brightly lit and quieter room. It was comfortable, with several sofas and low tables, as well as racks of clothing and half a dozen standing mirrors scattered about.**

"This is... nice," she said, looking around the room. "Even if it's a bit strange. Do we have to go back outside? That crowd is a bit much..."

She hopped over to the racks of clothing, curious as ever. The clothes there were both masculine and feminine, but all of them were very revealing. 

"Nothing here for a queen," she muttered, turning the clothes this way and that. "These wouldn't even fit me, I think."

**Loki chuckled and rolled his eyes as he sat down on one of the couches, spreading himself languorously across it.**

**“Darling, really? You think I’d let you wear one of ** ** _those_ ** ** outfits?”**

**Suddenly, a swirl of golden seidr spun around her, and her clothing changed into a fitted silken black dress that barely fell low enough to cover her ass, thin straps holding it up and leaving the tops of her breasts and her arms bare. She wore a simple pair of low, black heels, complemented by black stockings with frilly lace tops that stretched all the way to her upper thighs and secured themselves somewhere under the skirt, hidden along with the Lacey black panties she now had on. Her mahogany hair was pulled up into two long pigtails that fell behind her shoulders, swishing casually against the small of her back. And around her neck, she wore a tight black leather choker, undecorated except for a golden snake pendant that dangled from its stay, the body twisted to form a loop.**

**“You’re going to look perfect for Daddy tonight, ** ** _baby girl._ ** **”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TEST SUNDAY FTW!


	39. Baby Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki helps Iona explore more of her kinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit late for the Test Sunday treat (life fucked up), but a lot of delicious carnality awaits you.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

Iona tilted her head slightly, confused at his dark tone. Then, she looked down at her clothes and felt terribly exposed. 

"Umm... we could have done this back in our bedroom, no?"

**“Absolutely not.”**

**Loki tilted his head to the side and gave her a discerning look.**

**“Spin around for me.”**

She did as he directed, feeling a faint blush creeping up her neck. 

"Do I meet your exacting standards, husband?" she asked, pretending to be flippant, even though she felt completely out of her element here.

**“As always, sweetling,” he said as he stood and walked to her. He ran his fingers down from Iona’s shoulder to her elbow, then looked into her eyes. She seemed nervous, and he smiled, trying to comfort her.**

**“Iona, I want you to know how much it means to me that you’re here. This place represents a side of me that...I’ve always had, but never shared with anyone from Asgard. I want you to know that I wouldn’t have brought you if I thought anything you wouldn’t like could happen...but I think it’s time we explored this...together.”**

"All this time... and another secret?" she asked, tilting her head and looking at him with a trickle of suspicion. 

She also tried to decipher what this place meant. It was certainly a Midgardian place of merry-making, with sexual tones... But beyond that, she couldn't understand it.

"So... tell me more about this hidden side of yours."

**“You’ve seen some of it already...” he said cryptically, keeping his hands on her arms. “Think of it as..another test. And I hope by now you trust me enough to follow my lead.”**

**He held up one of his hands, and a chain materialized, draping over his fingers - delicately and gorgeously woven strands of gold and silver intertwined along its length, one end adorned with a simple clasp, and the other with a bejeweled wristloop.**

**He looked deeply into her eyes, and he gently stroked her arm as he attached the clasp to the snake charm of her necklace...and his outfit changed.**

**When his seidr shimmered away, he looked completely different: polished black leather stirrup boots that rose to his mid calf, tight leather pants, and no shirt...instead, he wore a harness of sorts, leather strapped across his chest and meeting at his sternum with a silver metal ring, crisscrossing him like an “X”. The rest of the harness was held together by short lengths of chain. He held the end of her leash in one black-gloved hand, the other holding the handle of a riding crop.**

**“I’d like to introduce you to my friends.”**

Iona gasped as he spoke. "F-Friends?"

She was losing her mind already, seeing how he was dressed, how he now held her by a leash...

Oh Norns, this was right out of her dirtiest, most shameful fantasies...

Her knees wobbled as he pulled on the chain, prompting her to step towards him. She instinctively didn't resist him.

**He held her face delicately in his hand after she complied, watching her in a way that seemed at once concerned, loving, and insanely possessive. As he watched her, a lacy black mask formed around her eyes…**

** _So gorgeous_ ** **, he thought to himself...he’d imagined her like this for so long...**

**“** ** _Anne_ ** **...be a good girl for Daddy and do as I say, without question. And if it’s too much for you at any point, simply say ‘red light’ and it will all stop. We’ll return to this room, and be done. Do you understand, baby girl?”**

She nodded, swallowing hard.

"I... I trust you, Daddy," she said, giving him a chaste kiss on the lips. "Show me your hidden world."

**“That’s my girl...” he said, smiling lovingly at her. It made his heart flutter seeing her smile in response.**

**“Down on your hands and knees, darling. It’s time to go.”**

Her eyes widened at the command, but nonetheless, she made to follow it.

Slowly, she lowered herself to her knees and then on all fours. 

"Umm, don't let me get dirty..."

**“Dear...that is ** ** _entirely _ ** **the point,” he smirked as he looked up from her to the door. “But I promise to keep it sanitary.”**

**He walked forward, leading her gently around the room before stopping her in front of the closed door.**

**“In everything we do tonight, exhibit the poise and grace you’ve practiced as queen - that’s what you ** ** _are_ ** **, dear, and I want everyone to know it.”**

**Then, he led her through the threshold and took her out into the main room.**

**Immediately, all eyes turned to him and his pet...and he grinned, bringing her around with him slowly. It was plenty warm, and not too busy, which was always welcome - this place could get to be a bit much when too many people were around, even for him. He was happy that she kept up nicely, though he was careful not to walk too fast. And he didn’t look down at her, not yet...he was too busy looking at the reactions they got.**

At first, Iona kept her eyes firmly on the floor, refusing to look at anyone in the room. All she saw was glimpses of skin and boots. 

But then, as loud murmurs went through the crowd, her curiosity got the better of her. She glanced up from behind her mask, and she was greeted by various looks from their audience. Some were curious, some looked offended, and yet others looked downright jealous...

No one was disgusted or outraged. That gave her some measure of relief, at least.

**Loki finally gave himself permission to look down at her...and his breath seized in his chest. The way her body curved and moved as she crawled, how she looked in the mask, how her ass swayed and her neck arched...all that was HIS, and everyone knew it.**

**She pranced, elegant and regal as someone who had been trained from birth as such. It shined from every beautiful inch of her...and he was so proud. Proud of her, for being who she was; proud of himself, for belonging to such a creature; proud of ** ** _them_ ** **, for managing not to tear each other’s throats out long enough to see that the other was a perfect match.**

**He felt at home, and as open as he could ever be...as he had ever been.**

**He looked over to the corner stage with a genuinely satisfied grin. He could be himself, no pretense, no royal reputations or duties to consider, nothing holding him back. And he was going to show everyone in that room - Iona especially - what that meant.**

Iona tried to keep pace with him as he led her to a stage in the corner of the room. Thankfully, he was walking slowly, so it gave her the opportunity to crawl with grace. She most certainly didn't want to fall on her face in front of a gathering of people.

She wanted to ask him all sorts of things, though, but she curbed that instinct. 

There were so many strangely dressed people here, she wanted to know more about them. Some were like the dead, some were like dolls, and some of them looked like black shadows only. 

The only thing they seemed to have in common was that they were all focused on her and Loki; whatever he was about to do, she wanted to go along with it. Even though she was really scared inside.

**Loki looked out at the crowd, some of whom were watching with interest. There were several other stages around the room, one of which was in use by an attractive couple with a penchant for clothespins and exposition...in this place, people could do what they wanted, so that’s what they did. That’s what he was ** ** _about _ ** **to do.**

**He knelt down to Iona and lifted her chin slightly so she was looking him in the eye, then he brought her lips to his. It was a gentle but passionate kiss, one that he hoped conveyed everything he felt in that moment.**

She kissed him back and leaned against his leg, focusing on his presence instead of the people in front of them. 

When their lips parted, she looked right into his green eyes and gave him a small smile, showing him that she was fine, that he could go ahead with whatever he was planning.

**He returned the smile happily, his eyes crinkling at the corners, then he helped her to stand. Still delicately holding her hand, he put his other arm around her shoulders and looked up at the gathered audience.**

**“Hi, everyone. I’m Luke. Some of you might remember me—”**

**Suddenly, from further back, a man yelled, “Yea, Luke’s back! WOOOO!” Several other people turned and cheered or hollered in approval. Loki nearly blushed as he chuckled and grinned.**

**“Lawrence, I see you haven’t changed!” He shouted back across the room.**

**Then he looked at Iona and positively beamed.**

**“This is my new wife, Anne. We’ve been married now for almost a year. It’s her first time, so do try to make her feel welcome, yes?”**

**The crowd cheered and applauded again, with several shouts of “yea, honey!” and “get it girl!” breaking through the general din of congratulations.**

She blushed as the crowd began to cheer. It seemed like Loki, as Luke, was really popular here. She gave a little wave to the crowd, and got more cheers from them. 

How strange it was, it was almost akin to being royalty... well, with significantly less clothes.

**Before they left the center of the stage, Loki leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Don’t move a muscle.”**

**Grinning at her puzzled look, he took the zipper on the back of Iona’s dress and pulled it down slowly, watching the fabric loosen from around her body. The thin straps fell off her shoulders, and Iona obediently allowed them to slide down her arms, the rest of the silky dress following closely behind. In seconds, it lay discarded at Iona’s feet, and she stood naked except for her panties and the garter belt that held up her stockings.**

**Several people applauded.**

Iona’s heart thudded in her chest as she stood exposed to the cheering crowd. She tried her best to look confident, to remain poised. It was hard, considering the warring emotions swirling inside her.

On one hand, there was embarrassment and shame at being put on show like an exhibit… on the other hand, there was excitement and elation at being the centre of such prurient attention.

Her nipples tightened in response, and her pussy grew slicker. Heat overtook her whole face and flushed down her breasts. She couldn’t deny that she liked it. Not once did she try to cover up.

It was her secret, forbidden fantasy come to life, at the hands of her husband… she felt  _ safe  _ here, in his hands and under his control, despite being so exposed. She could actually act it out now. With  _ him _ . Just like she had imagined it.

She took deep breaths as she tried to calm herself enough to follow through with whatever Loki had in mind for her. 

**Loki led her around behind a square wooden table in the center of the stage, keeping eye contact with her the whole time. He helped her up and sat her on its edge with her back to the crowd...then he kissed her again.**

**But this time, it was much more deep and passionate, intense and controlling, dominating and insistent. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him, his hand behind her head giving him control over which way she faced.**

**His tongue dipped in and out of her month, touching every surface, dancing with hers. With a heavy breath, he felt his arousal skyrocket as he kissed her even more fiercely and possessively.**

Iona lost herself to his deep, passion-filled kisses... so much that she lost track of time and place and simply focused on the feelings and sensations that his actions brought her. 

Seemingly, one moment, she was kissing him, and the next, she was lying on the table, with his hands roving over her body in a slow, reverent caress.

As he pushed her further onto the table, her head slid down its edge and the movement finally made her open her eyes. All that she saw, then, were the upside-down faces of their audience. It was so strange... and it only added to her growing arousal...

**Loki had been a bit nervous about how Iona would react once she saw the onlookers, but as she opened her eyes, she seemed to simply relax into his touch even further.**

**His heart skipped a beat. She was ** ** _enjoying _ ** **it...**

**Loki pressed his hand to her center, rubbing the wet lace of her panties against her clit and watching her chest begin to heave. She grabbed the sides of the table, and Loki surreptitiously sent invisible seidr there, locking them in place. It would help him keep her steady, and the less she had to think about, the better.**

Iona felt invisible bindings take hold of her wrists as soon as she grasped the edges of the table. That, coupled with Loki's teasing touches, made her gasp repeatedly.

The cheers in the crowd were growing, and so were the number of people near their stage. Her eyes widened as some of them began to comment upon their act.

Even more so when some of them waved at her... mostly the women. She just bit her lip and stared at them in wonder. 

Suddenly,  _ all of that _ left her active thoughts as Loki removed her panties and spread her legs.

**Loki bent over, still toying with her clit with one hand, and lifted her head up with the other so she could comfortably see him.**

**“Are you ready?” He asked, quietly enough that only she could hear him. He stopped playing with her to align himself with her center, just letting the tip dip into her hot juices.**

**Though he tried to exude confidence, he was actually nervous; his heart pounded in his chest, wondering how Iona would react in front of a crowd - for so long he thought that this perversion would forever be his alone. But she had told him this fantasy, without prompting, out on the balcony during his Name Day celebration...and ever since then, he’d been imagining this moment.**

**He swallowed hard, for the first time in a long while feeling vulnerable and anxious to see if he had truly found someone who could be a part of this world with him.**

Iona gave him a nod, and then a little smile as she bit her lip. Norns, it was hard to think when he was nudging against her distended pussy lips. 

She wasn't even bothered about the people who were staring at them right at this moment. Or... did she like that bit? That the people were staring... and that Loki only had eyes for  _ her _ ...

"Please, Daddy," she whispered then, and knew that he could hear her amidst the noisy crowd.

**Relief washed over him, and he grinned, laying her gently back down into position. He pressed himself forward between her legs, breaching her slowly and taking his time to enjoy the feeling of her velvet walls stretching around him, gradually taking him in completely.**

**He looked out at all the faces staring back at him...but all eyes were glued to her face as the sounds she made reverberated off the walls and floated over the blasting music.**

**He pressed into her deeply, then slid his hand up her ribs and grabbed her breast, pinching the nipple between his fingers.**

A drawn out moan slipped from her lips as Loki pushed inside her slick heat at a glacial pace. Her legs opened up even further to accommodate him, in perfect synchronicity with the rising noise in the room.

Her eyes fluttered and lost their focus as he pulled back and thrust into her again, making the whole table shudder with it. 

The crowd gasped, right on point. 

Slowly, a bright blush overtook her face, neck and breasts as Loki kept up the slow, sensual rhythm of his thrusts. 

"Daddy..." she moaned, turning her head right and left, writhing beneath him as their little  _ show _ progressed.

**“Yes, baby girl...” he purred, starting to quicken his pace. “Tell me what you want...”**

**He brought his hand to her clit once again, making small, quick circles with his thumb.**

"You... " she panted, once again letting her head drop against the edge of the table. "I want you to... own me, use me... make me yours."

Her legs wrapped around his hips then, and her back arched as her insides melted with pleasure. She was so damn close to her orgasm already... and he was still going at such a leisurely pace.

**Her voice was deep and silky, very unlike her normal tone...just hearing her say those words nearly undid him on the spot.**

**But no. Not tonight. Tonight he would hold out until she was beyond thought, beyond speech, beyond guilt or resistance. She would be a panting, exhausted mess by the time he’d be done, and only then would he take his well-earned reward.**

**But it would all start with this first orgasm.**

**“Cum for me, baby girl. As hard as you can. Do it...** ** _now_ ** **.”**

Heat and passion rose and crashed all over her body, making her keen and cry out in response. She shuddered against the hard wood of the table, hands gripping it tighter as the waves of pleasure inundated her completely.

"Daddy... oh Daddy!" she kept mumbling as she clenched around his girth, barely keeping her mind in enough control to not blurt out his real name. For now... she could manage with that naughty title... she did so enjoy calling him that.

**He stopped thrusting as she came, closing his eyes and simply pressing deeply into her channel, reveling in her tight clenching as she rode out her orgasm. He arched his back and shuddered, gripping her hips tightly.**

**When she finally began to relax... he started moving slowly within her again. He lifted her head and looked at her face, seeing just the smallest hint of a smile on her lips.**

**“That’s my girl...you’re doing so well, darling. Everyone thinks so...I can see it in their faces. And if you didn’t notice, you’re causing some of them to couple off...take a look.”**

**Then he gently lay her head back down.**

Iona moaned softly, still very much aroused despite her recent orgasm, as Loki let her head rest back on the table again. She didn't quite understand what he meant, but she did follow his suggestion to look at the people once more.

Some of them were seated now, and yet some more were engaged in their own sexual trysts. The whole atmosphere of this place was so sexually charged that Iona could only watch in fascination, nearly forgetting about her own exposure.

And all this while, Loki was still inside her, moving ever so slowly... teasing her and coaxing her body towards another peak.

**Loki realized he had something of the same feeling now as when he’d disrupted the gala at Stuttgart - all eyes on him, doing his dirty deeds. But this time, it was welcomed. Appreciated, instead of feared. Certainly, the circumstances had been different, but the atmosphere and the near-electric vibration he got were so similar it nearly gave him flashbacks.**

**And he felt powerful, in complete command and control...and he understood why it had been appealing enough to sway him back then.**

**But now, it was Iona that allowed him this deep joy, this trust that he would make the right decisions...**

**“Are you enjoying yourself so far, Anne? Tell the people how it feels...” Loki said loudly enough for the onlookers to hear** .

Iona jerked at his words, for she had almost gone into a trance-like state. She wasn't drunk, but she was feeling like it.

She blinked a few times to clear her head, to focus on his words and parse their meaning. When the command that he gave her became clearer in her head, she raised her head from the table and looked at him nervously.

"I... what..." She shook her head, eyes widening even more so than before. She could hardly form words on her lips. Moreso, she was far too self-conscious to converse with the onlookers as he ravished her.

**“It’s all right, dear,” he said again in their private tone. “Just say something like ‘Yes Daddy, take me!’ and I won’t make you say anything more for the rest of the night.”**

**He grinned as he gave her an especially deep thrust, gripping her hips as he did so.**

She looked into his mesmerizing green eyes, which were so dark with passion and lust right now... and she somehow found her voice. He wanted her to be open... to speak...

"D-Daddy... yes.... it-it feels so good!" 

She collapsed against dark wood again and looked back at the people as Loki thrust into her again and again, shaking the whole structure of the table. And then she found herself smiling, for the people were smiling as well... 

"He's touching me so deep inside, he's touching my soul," she moaned, pressing her thighs against his, her nails digging into the wood. "I feel complete..."

She started coming just as she finished proclaiming that.

**Holy NORNS, her words! Loki ground his teeth together as the arousal nearly overtook him, and he suddenly felt lightheaded. At the same time, genuine, unabated happiness thundered in his chest as she played along and took her pleasure with him.**

**And the crowd got louder as she spoke as well - her voice was having an effect on the entire room. The sounds of moaning and orgasmic pleasure filled his ears alongside the tone of Iona’s beautiful keening and speaking...**

**He was coming. Norns help him, he didn’t want to but it was happening. She’d pulled it from him.**

**With a sudden catch in his breath, he felt himself release inside her along with her orgasm...and he almost lost his balance from it. He grabbed the sides of the table as well and made a noise he had never before made...at least, not in his Asgardian form...**

**He thanked the Norns once again that he wasn’t in his rutting season, or the entire club would have been in for quite a surprise** .

Iona kept coming... and coming... the sensation intensifying as he came with her. For a few seconds (or was it minutes?) she just lost herself. She didn't know what was going on around her, she didn't hear any words that were spoken.

All her awareness was just on Loki and herself, and how she was joined with him. 

"Mmm... husband," she whispered finally when she felt like she could... "I think... I think I made grooves into the wood."

**Loki was panting, gripping the sides of the table like his life depended on it and still buried in his wife. His knees were weak, but he forced the muscles to respond, to keep him upright.**

**And when he looked where her hands were clenching...she had indeed splintered the wood. He’d have to repair that before they left...then, he looked at where HE had grabbed the table and—**

**He would have to repair that as well. He had nearly ripped through the table.**

**He released Iona’s hands and fixed the table while they were still covering the damage they’d caused. Then he turned his gaze to his beautiful wife, that perfectly delicate mask still in place, and he smiled.**

**“Come, dear. I think we’ve earned a drink.”**

"Drink?" She licked her lips instinctively as he righted himself, looking up at him rather helplessly. "Like... mead? Or wine?"

Norns, she sounded like an imbecile. 

"Umm... can I have some water first?" she whispered as she followed his movements. "I do feel... thirsty."

**Loki removed his gloves and pushed them into his back pocket, then helped her off the table and helped put her black lace panties and dress back on. Then pushed his manhood back into the leather pants - he was still half-hard, but he wanted to show Iona more of the club. There would be plenty of time for more of that later in the evening.**

**“Of course. Water is highly recommended. And...well, the alcohol on Midgard is quite weak compared to what we’re used to, so I wouldn’t worry about inebriation. But there is a sweet drink called “lemon drop” that I’d like you to try.”**

**As he led her off the little stage, several people applauded and came over with congratulations and praise for them both. Several times he overheard someone telling Iona that they didn’t believe it was her first time, which made him grin. She was a natural** .


	40. Praise and Punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The debauchery continues... but then, Iona grows nervous and insecure.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

Iona blushed as the others came in to congratulate her and Loki. She found herself stuck to his side as they fawned over. 

Once they reached a quiet place to sit, she promptly planted herself onto his lap and didn't budge. 

"The attention is overwhelming..." she mumbled into his neck, hiding her face right in its crook. "Please just hold me."

**Loki chuckled and stroked her hair, letting her curl into his body. “Of course, dear. For as long as you want.”**

**He waved over one of the cocktail waitresses and ordered two glasses of water, as well as a ** ** _lemon drop _****for her and a ** ** _dry martini _****for himself, then continued to hold her in the booth they’d commandeered, keeping her warm little body close to his and unable to wipe the smile off his face.**

**“You really are incredible, Iona,” he said softly into her ear. “No one here has been able to make me lose control on stage like you did, and on your first night, no less.”**

"I feel so strange," she whispered in his ear, clutching his shoulder tightly. "Like I'm not in my own body..."

Then, she repeated his words in her head and sighed heavily. Her hand ended up leaving his shoulder and grasping his hair, seeking the comfort of his silken locks.

"And now I feel quite jealous as well... you've probably taken countless people here. I'm just another one of them. I truly didn't know that you had such a different and wild secret life here..."

**“Iona...”**

**He leaned her back so he could look her in the eye, seeing the fear and concern there. It nearly broke his heart, but he reminded himself it was all just a matter of trying to understand something unusual and foreign. It was very new to her, and she had taken everything in stride so well.**

**“I haven’t returned here since...well, before ****_everything_****. And yes, I have taken countless men and women, and been taken in return. It makes me feel...whole. Fulfilled. Different and free. It makes me...** ** _happy_****. Something I didn’t have much of before I got to know you better. And I refuse to believe that being this way is a ** ** _bad _ ** **thing.”**

**He smiled and leaned in, putting his forehead to hers but keeping his eyes on her beautiful golden irises.**

**“You are not just another one of them. I did not ****_marry _****anyone here,” he chuckled, squeezing her hand gently. “This fulfills a ** ** _part _****of me, not all of me. But YOU do. And I’m so glad I can share this with you as well.”**

"But I don't even feel like myself right now..." She frowned as she looked at her hands. "That woman on stage... I've never been like that. Not to say that I've not had my fantasies... more so after marrying you... but I could never fully immerse in them either."

They both remained quiet for a while. When he handed her the glass of water, she took a long drink from it. It eased her suddenly confused and agitated mind.

Finally, she put it down and turned her attention back on him. "No wonder you used to tell me that I'm one of the most insipid ladies of the court... when we were younger, that is." She chuckled, shaking her head. "I have so much to learn still, and it often makes me feel inadequate for you. Norns... I'm so full of dull insecurities, I'm ruining the mood, am I not?"

**Loki chuckled and pulled her in closer, the feel of her silky light dress against his bare skin making a warm glow in his body. The leather straps and chains of his harness pulled against him as well...and the juxtaposition of textures was wonderful.**

**“Hardly. In fact, I had half expected you to outright refuse to do any of this, the further along we got...I’m so proud of you, baby girl...”**

**And he kissed her on the nose as their drinks were brought over. He handed the sugar-rimmed pale yellow beverage to her, and lifted his glass.**

**“To us, sweetling. ** ** _Always_ ** **.”**

"To us." She clinked the delicate glass with his and then took a sip of the drink. It was sweet and refreshing, and hence, she downed it all in her next swallow.

Loki simply laughed at her enthused drinking, so she accidentally sloshed his drink all over his chest. 

Before he could react, she lowered her head and started sucking it off his skin. And just to tease him some more, she slipped her hand under the leather straps on his chest and sought out his nipple.

**Loki moaned and leaned back, gladly giving her more access.**

**“Dull insecurities, indeed...” he chuckled as she ran her tongue and lips over his chest. His cock began pressing at the front of his pants almost immediately, and he pushed up with his legs to make sure she could feel it.**

**“Even if you’re not feeling like yourself,” he whispered in her ear. “Perhaps you might ** ** _enjoy _ ** **being someone else tonight? Someone you’ve never thought you could be, given the confines of your station and birth?”**

**When she pulled back to look at him, he could see the recognition and longing in her eyes - she understood that feeling of being trapped as well as he did.**

**“Perhaps...you should just be ** ** _Anne _ ** **for tonight and see how it suits you...”**

She looked at him with wonder-filled eyes, her endeavour to tease him forgotten midway. His suggestion was like the opening of a blocked airway, the light at the end of a cave...

"Oh, husband... I like that idea." She straddled him firmly and planted her lips on his, eager to taste his tongue. 

Both of her hands wound up in his hair while she suckled on his tongue, letting him know that she was willing to play his little game of charade.

"Mmmm... I'm just Anne... and Anne will do anything Luke tells her," she claimed after she pulled away from his lips. "Tell me what to do, Daddy."

**Loki’s eyes met hers as she ended their kiss, and he couldn’t help the smirking lopsided grin that pulled at one corner of his mouth. He could feel the heat from her pussy on his leather-clad cock as she straddled him, and it was making his mouth water...**

**He reached out and gently tilted her head so her ear was right next to his lips, brushing the shell as he spoke.**

**“Flag down the waitress and get us another round of drinks. And a few napkins as well...”**

**While he held her there, he reached between them with his other hand, freed himself from his pants, pushed the lacy bit of her undergarment out of his way, and pushed up inside her.**

**However, her dress hid his deed, and no one around them took any notice.**

**“And keep your composure, Anne dear.”**

Iona's palms rested at his chest as she tried to modulate her voice and keep her expression blank.

This was so hard to do, but oh so thrilling. Norns, she swore her slickness was becoming like a flood...

She called a waitress over after a minute or so, and her face grew very hot as she tried her best to order.

The waitress looked her in the eye and smirked knowingly.

**“Well done, darling,”**

**He pulled gently on her hair and tilted her head back so she was forced to look up at the ceiling, then clicked the clasp of the leash onto her necklace once more, letting it dangle down between them. Then he allowed her to return her gaze to him.**

**His green eyes sparkled in the dancing lights of the club as he licked his lips, looking at her. He took the jeweled handle of the leash in his hand, and it dipped down between them, under the folds of her dress. Gently, he rubbed it against her swollen and eager clit, tensing and moving his cock within her.**

**Then he watched her...** ** _challenged _****her...**

Iona bit her lip and began to rock on his thighs as he toyed with her clit. She was unable to help herself...she just HAD to move.

Her eyes remained on his, accepting what he was giving her, seeking approval... seeking comfort... seeking more pleasure.

"Daddy..." she moaned as the hard handle of the leash teased her sensitive clit some more, almost cruel in its touch, but not really. Just like her husband... "Please... more..."

**“Ah, ah ah...now Anne, no begging. I told you to behave. If you’re a good girl until we’re done with our drinks, I’ll give you something extra special. How does that sound, baby girl?”**

**He sat back and relaxed somewhat, his hand still beneath her dress but the rest of him against the back of the booth. His cock twitched inside her again.**

**“So...do you have any questions for me? About this place?”**

She pouted at him, her eyes fluttering as she felt him twitch inside her. 

"S-So many questions... half of them I forgot..."

Her thighs squeezed around him, her inner walls doing the same to his manhood, and the responding groan from him made her smirk.

"Why is there a separate place for... this... whatever this is...?"

**He smiled as the waitress brought the drinks to them, still giving Iona that same look. Then he turned his attention to her again and clinked his glass to hers before taking a sip of his martini.**

**“Some places on Midgard are quite repressed when it comes to relieving sexual urges, so establishments like these tend to pop up to address that latent need in the population. Some people like to have sex with others around. Some people like to be watched, or like watching. But whatever the reason, I’m happy to have found it. How’s your drink?”**

**He smirked as he flexed his cock inside her again.**

She giggled and gasped as she felt him twitch again. "You talk too much sometimes... I wonder how you do it while we're... oh... umm... joined like this. So this is a club for deviants?"

She took her drink in her hand and tried to gulp it down in one go, but his hand grabbed hers and stopped her. Oh, he was being so mean!

"Let me drink..."

**“** ** _Sip_ ** **, like a lady. Don’t gulp. You are still the Allmother and Queen of the Nine Realms. Your manners should still reflect that, even if your attire or surroundings don’t.”**

"Am I?" She tilted her head as she looked at him. "But I'm _ just Anne _..."

She was trying to be cheeky, and she knew that he knew that. 

"A lady wouldn't do this..." She gasped as he pressed the handle more firmly against her clit. "Oh, Norns!"

**“Careful not to spill,” he said as he took the glass from her and set it down on the table behind her. “And this lady is working her way towards a spanking. And a public one at that.”**

"Oh please, not that again..." She pouted again and leaned over his chest, trying to get more friction... trying to get more pleasure. "I'll behave, Daddy... I'll be good."

And then she latched onto his neck, sucking, biting, just doing everything in her power to make him weak.

**“That’s it.”**

**In one swift movement, he lifted her off of him and over his shoulder. He stood and began walking over to another one of the stages, this one with a long padded bench in the center.**

**He sat down on it - not even having bothered to put his cock away - and lay her over his lap, holding her down and exposing her bottom to the room. He ran his hand over the soft swell of her, grinning as she kicked and struggled.**

**All part of the game.**

**“Feeling bratty tonight, are we? Well, I think ten should cool you down enough to have a civil conversation. Count them for me, dear.”**

Iona struggled some more as Loki settled her onto his lap, her face growing red like a tomato. He was going to spank her in front of everyone! Oh, Norns!

And yet... she couldn't bring herself to say the words that would stop it all...

Her lips trembled as she opened them, but nothing came out. All she did was moan in protest, and all her body did was get slicker in anticipation.

**Loki brought his hand back and raised it above his head, ready to bring it down on her...**

**Then he stopped.**

**“Oh, Anne. I can’t do this to you...”**

**He rubbed her back gently for a few moments, then right as she was about to get off of him, he pushed her back down into position.**

**“Not without my gloves.”**

**Loki pulled them out of his back pocket and managed to get them on while still holding Iona down with his torso and biceps.**

**Then he wound up and spanked her ass, and a loud resounding crack went out through the crowd. Norns, he’d felt the heat of that one through the glove!**

Iona shrieked as the slap landed on her bottom suddenly, leaving fire on her skin... the glove only added to it. He was being so evil!

"_One_," she managed to mumble somehow, scared that he'd not count it if she forgot.

**“Good girl,” he praised, then he came down with another spank on the opposite side. Iona counted it, and he continued.**

**By the time he was ready to give her the 10th, a small crowd had gathered to see them. He looked around quickly, then leaned down and whispered in her ear.**

**“Look at all these people getting off on you being spanked. You’ve brought them such happiness, Anne. One more, and I’ll reward you. One, two...three.”**

**And he landed his open palm on her ass for the last time, letting his hand rest upon her and enjoying the warm glow caused by his good work**.

Iona sobbed into the bench, a relief washing over her after he landed the last slap on her burning bottom. 

She wondered what the reward was going to be, but Norns, ending the spanking was reward enough for now. Her whole body was shaking from its impact, and yet, between her legs, the slickness had not at all abated.

**He gently rubbed her pink cheeks, casting just a hint of healing magic into her, relieving some of the sting.**

**“Well done, darling. I’m glad to see that calmed you down. Come now, let’s find a couch where we can rest. Oh, and we need to get our drinks.”**

**With hardly any effort, he lifted her off his lap and into a standing position, letting her catch her balance before letting her go. Then he took the leash in his hand and led her back to their table.**

**“Here, carry these.”**

**He handed her the two glasses, then led her with the leash again over to a comfortable, large couch, sitting near the armrest.**

**“Put those on the table, then come here and sit in my lap.”**

She did as he told her, setting the drinks on the table and then settling on his lap again. It did make her gasp and wince, for her ass was raw and red.

"Why do you insist on spanking me?" she asked, hiding her face in his neck again, her eyes still wet. "I don't much like it."

**“Why do you insist on being bratty?” He chuckled as he sent more seidr to ease her soreness. “You knew what would happen if you didn’t listen.”**

**He allowed her to relax comfortably against the armrest, stroking her hair and relishing her close proximity. The more they sat like this, the more he liked it.**

**He allowed his hand to slide up under her dress, and his fingers found their way to her center. Gently, almost lazily, he began to play with her once again.**

She didn't resist him, at all, as he began to play with her again. In fact, her legs opened shamelessly and invited him in, unbothered by who their audience might be. 

Bit by bit, she had indeed lost a lot of her inhibitions.

"I wouldn't be me if I stopped being bratty, and you know it," she whispered, moving her hips in cadence with his fingers, chasing her pleasure, now that her pain had eased.

**He allowed her to grind on him as much as she wanted. She had earned it, after all. He moved her undergarment aside and pushed two fingers into her channel, stroking the spot he knew she liked best, letting his thumb circle her clit through her curls.**

**Her responding arch and moan were delightful.**

**“So true, Anne,” he said as he rested his head on her shoulder, hearing her heartbeat quicken.**

She shook her head and dug her nails into his shoulders. "No, I want you in me... right now."

Her eyes stared fire into his as she moved to retrieve his manhood from his pants.

**Loki huffed with mock frustration. “Bratty AND demanding. It’s a good thing you’re beautiful or I’d be completely done with you by now.”**

**Regardless, he helped her along, eager to relieve his own build up of pleasure since pulling out of her at the booth.**

**He shifted his position so she could straddle him, and he guided himself inside her quickly, her swollen and slick pussy already over-sensitive from everything they had done earlier.**

**He grabbed her hips and helped her move atop him, lifting her easily. He closed his eyes and shuddered as her heat swirled around him in that familiar, intoxicating way.**

Iona grasped him tightly as she began to ride him at a quick pace, chasing that orgasm that he had been teasing her with for so long...her hands grasped his hair again, pulling roughly as she felt herself growing closer to her peak.

"Good thing you're good with your... c-cock, or else I'd be riding someone else right now," she said with a challenge in her voice, watching him with hooded eyes as he groaned.

**There were at least eight different snarky and irreverent things he thought to say in response to that before deciding it would be healthier for his marriage to just let them all go and keep fucking his wife until she came.**

**Decision making and judgement like that is what made him king, after all.**

**“Small mercies...” was all he could say before he felt himself beginning to come undone.**

**“Close,” Loki breathed, barely able to keep his eyes open. “Together?”**

"Yes, Daddy," she purred, pressing her lips to his as she kept moving to their rhythm, feeling the pleasure already bursting through her body.

**Just the slightest hint of the telltale fluttering of her velvet walls was all it took to send him over the edge. He groaned almost softly as it washed over him, a feeling of relief and satisfaction glowing from where they connected.**

**“Oh, Iona...” Loki said softly as she relaxed on top of him, still riding his mostly-still-hard cock. “Happy Name Day.”**

She smiled against his bare skin and gave it a little bite in response.

"Thank you, husband... I... I never could've imagined such a gift."

She was looking forward to more cuddling, enjoying the afterglow immensely... when suddenly she felt Loki stiffen and grow tense.

"What is it?" she asked, pulling back from his chest to look at him in concern. He was frowning...

**‘It’s... Heimdall.”**

**Loki looked into her eyes, honest fear and concern now covering his features. Such a quick change from the happy and contented expression he’d worn just seconds earlier. **

**“There’s an emergency in Asgard. An unauthorized intruder has just broken into the palace. Iona...we have to get home. Now.”**

"What?!" Her eyes widened in alarm. Did this intruder have to choose her name day to carry out his nefarious plans? "Who is it? Please don't tell me that the Svartalfar are back... or the Kronans..."

**Loki sighed heavily as he stood, lifting her with him and once again taking on the regal and stately posture of a king. Despite his surroundings, despite his wardrobe, despite his tastes and proclivities...Loki was, in his heart, a born ruler. And it showed most clearly in times of crisis. **

**He looked to his queen with a steady, solemn gaze.“Worse...much worse. It’s…**

**...your mother.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... how did you like this Sinful Test Sunday? Curious minds wanna know. :P


	41. Mother's Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iona's mother makes her life difficult, but Loki has a way to cheer her up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Test Sunday became Test Monday, sorry for that. Hope you enjoy the chapter! :D

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Bergljot's POV_; _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

Iona was feeling a strange mix of emotions at present, watching her mother idly chatter with her handmaidens. The most dominant of them all was annoyance, of course, for Bergljot had caused quite a stir in the palace upon her unannounced and sudden arrival. _ Despite _Loki’s strict orders for her to stay away. 

It was only because of Loki’s munificence - invoked by Iona’s persuasive pleading and wheedling - that she had been spared. Otherwise, a strict punishment was in order for her. Loki had been so incensed by her actions that for a moment or so, Iona had feared that he’d banish her mother from the _ realm eternal _.

Now, Loki had left the matter of her mother in _ her _hands, as he had other, more important things to focus his attention upon. Things that ensured that their kingdom ran smoothly. But he had been quite firm about his stance on the matter, telling her that she wasn't obligated to interact with her parents if she didn't want to.

Well, if she were to be honest, she didn’t want to _ completely _cut her ties with them. A part of her still hoped that they’d learn to behave themselves and address her with proper decorum.

Hence, now she was compelled to keep an eye on her mother, lest she misbehave again and embarrass her husband. She just hoped that Bergljot’s self proclaimed ‘short visit’ to the palace actually lived up to its name, for her endless chatter was beginning to vex her.

"Mother," she called from her settee, pretending to look at some administrative reports, "let my handmaidens go and complete their tasks for the day. I will be checking on them later and I don't want to hear any pretexts regarding their laxity."

That was enough to send the handmaidens rushing out of the room, frantic to complete their tasks for the day. Iona smirked to herself despite her low mood. She had learned the art of spreading subtle terror from Loki quite well by now.

**Bergljot pouted as the handmaidens scurried away. They had so been enjoying their conversation - couldn't Iona see that? And she was more than welcome to join them, of course! But to just send them off like that...well, that's just how she was these days, wasn't it?**

**"Dear, how are you feeling? You seem so out of sorts lately… and quite often, in a bad humour." Suddenly Bergljot gasped and put her hands to her mouth, eyebrows peaked in anticipation.**

**"Is it because...are you...?" She couldn't even get the words out, lest they be true.**

**Oh well. Yes, she could!**

**"Are you PREGNANT?" She whispered tightly, her whole body seized in potential excitement.**

Iona closed her eyes in consternation. Trust her mother to bring up the very thing that had been bothering her lately. Bergljot was so damned _ obsessed _with the topic of her producing the heirs to the throne of Asgard… it would’ve verged on being amusing had it not been a constant irritation to Iona.

She tried to tell herself that her temper wasn't because of the fact that she hadn't gotten with child in the first year of her marriage itself... or because of the court gossip about her so-called failure... or the fact that Loki wasn't at all bothered about securing an heir as yet. It was only there because of her mother’s presence. That was all there was to it.

"I'm not pregnant, mother," she answered plainly, wanting to quell any excitement that her mother was very keen on showing. "Can I not want some peace and quiet without seeming to appear moody?"

**"But ** ** _darling_ ** **," Bergljot simpered, standing and walking to her daughter, and putting two comforting hands on her shoulders. "Why would you want peace and quiet - you have company, dear! And it's only polite to entertain your guests. Now come, talk to me! We haven't seen each other in several months, and I missed you! It’s a shame for a mother and daughter not to have spoken for such a long time."**

**She promptly sat down on the papers that Iona had been holding just a moment before, forcing her to move over on the settee to accommodate Bergljot's ample posterior.**

**"So, tell me more about the king! Is he as angry and terrifying as everyone says he is? He’s not still mad at me about that silly thing that happened at Jule, is he?"**

Iona pulled the papers from under her in annoyance, smoothing out their creases. Goodness, her mother's company was quite unbearable.

How had she survived it for this long?

Ah, by staying away from home and with the queen. That's how.

"Mother, why are you so curious about him? Is it not enough that we both get along as a couple?" 

She deliberately ignored the Jule question altogether.

**Bergljot watched Iona fuss with the papers, frowning. Such an unimportant thing taking her attention away from her guest...honestly, the manners of people these days.**

**"I'm curious because I care about you, dear. I want to know about your life, how you're doing...whether you're using the ** ** _Turchibastor _ ** **I got you from Midgard..."**

Iona turned red at the mention of that nigh savage tool that Bergljot had gifted her not long ago. 

"I... I'm... " She closed her eyes to gain some semblance of calmness before she proceeded. "That's not how we do things, mother. That contraption is horrendous. The king and I... we fit well together in the traditional sense. That is how we're doing it."

**"Not well enough, apparently..." Bergljot said under her breath, then faked innocence when Iona glared at her.**

**"What? It's just surprising that it's been almost a year since your marriage and you're not yet with child! Have you visited the healers? Have they said ** ** _anything _ ** **on the matter?"**

**Bergljot watched her daughter with genuine concern - if she were sick or, Norns forbid, unable to conceive...oh the consequences to her reputation - the barren Queen! She could hardly stand to think it!**

Iona looked down and huffed in irritation. 

"We're not in a hurry, mother. The kingdom needs more stability before we can think about expanding our family," she lied, wringing her hands together. 

What else could she say on this matter? That her husband was completely oblivious to the fact that she was suffering through court gossip and possible ridicule for not completing her most important job as a queen?

"The healers haven't mentioned that anything is amiss with me."

She realized it too late that she had admitted to seeing the healers regarding this issue. Oh, she be damned by the Norns!

**"Oh, Iona! Perhaps you should seek a second opinion. Not all healers are equal! Why, Gunhild's daughter was told that she was barren, but then she saw a healer on Vanaheim, and they were able to get her pregnant in just a few months! Have you considered checking there?"**

**She was leaning closer to her daughter's face, staring at her with yet more genuine concern. If she had already seen the healers, her plight may very well be more dire than she had thought...**

Iona stood up abruptly, wanting to put some distance between her and her mother. 

Her presence was _ cloying _.

She walked to the enormous windows in her sitting room, pretending not to notice Bergljot’s morbid fascination with her possible barrenness.

"Mother, as I said, it's not my concern right now! The king and I are very busy these days. Producing a child can happen in the next century or so."

**"The next CENTURY?!" Bergljot balked, standing and bringing her hand to her heart in shock. "Surely you're jesting, daughter. No Allmother in the history of Asgard has taken that long to have a child! You must do everything you can! Iona, how can you be so callous? It is your ** ** _duty_ ** ** to bear an heir to the king-"**

**Her rant was ended when Iona, fuming, was inches from her face, eyes wide with rage.**

"Do not _ dare _ to tell me what to do, mother. You've caused enough of a disgrace to our house by your actions at the Jule. It's only because of my husband's kindness that you're even allowed within the palace walls," she growled, clenching her fists. "Don't push your luck with your pretence of concern over my reproductive endeavours."

Iona loomed over Bergljot's shorter frame, using the full force of her glare on her.

**Bergljot was frozen in shock at her daughter's words. So apparently her impropriety at Jule had ** ** _not_ ** ** been forgotten...**

**"Well...I..." She was at a loss for words; half of her was deeply offended by her daughter's behavior, the other half was deeply concerned about her well-being.**

**"Everyone is talking, Iona. It's not just me."**

Iona blanched at her claim. Was her situation _ that _much of a common gossip?

Why wasn't Loki concerned about it then?

"You're not in the court anymore, how would you even know?" she asked, eyes narrowing.

**"I...I still have friends..." Bergljot mumbled before composing herself. "And you're a public figure, Iona. The entire realm is wondering when an heir to the throne will be born. The longer it takes, the more concerned they become about the stability of the kingdom, especially given the tumultuous succession..."**

Iona suddenly felt so... exhausted.

She pulled away from Bergljot and went back to sit on the settee, her ire deflating quickly.

"Can you please stop? I'm already feeling pressured for producing an heir. I... Loki and I have been intimate throughout this year. I don't know what more to do to ensure it."

She was feeling so distraught that her admission to having regular sex _ to her mother _didn't even bother her propriety that much.

**Bergljot sat back down next to her daughter, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry, sweetheart. We'll figure it out. I'll talk to Gunhild and see who her daughter visited on Vanaheim. Has the king seen the healers? Mayhap his cavalry is riding without soldiers..."**

**She continued to ramble on about all the potential solutions to Iona's problem, really, honestly believing she was doing some good.**

Iona nodded to her, becoming more and more nervous as she pointed out what all could be wrong with her physiology, or even with Loki's.

It also didn't miss her observation that Loki's Jotun nature may have something to do with her childlessness.

Could she confront him about that?

Her mother was unaware about that little fact, and she wasn't going to share that information with _ her _.

Her best solution was to talk to Loki... if only she wasn't feeling so self-conscious about it...

**Suddenly, Bergljot stopped talking mid-sentence, her eyes glazed over and became distant. She seemed to be in a strange kind of trance, no words or sounds coming from her, which in itself was extremely odd.**

**Then, a shimmer of golden seidr wrapped around her, eventually covering her body completely - her shape changed, smaller and smaller, shrinking to almost the size of a loaf of bread, and when the shimmer cleared...she was furry. And tiny. She barked at Iona with what could only be construed as an adorable, confused look on her little Pomeranian face.**

**“You know, I really can’t stand that woman sometimes...” Loki stepped into the doorway, grinning at his wife. “And you looked like you could use some relief, sweetling.”**

Iona gasped and hovered over the little puppy, her eyes wide and fearful. 

"Loki, what did you do? She's... she's my mother!" She went running to him and grasped his hands. "I know that she's annoying... but... _ this _?"

“**Just revealing her true nature, dear. That is to say, deep down...she’s an annoying bitch.” He smiled so wide at her he thought his face might crack. “Not my words, by the way. It was your father’s idea.”**

**He lifted her hands to his lips and kissed their backs gently, mirthfully arching an eyebrow at her. Then he looked back down at the irritating little creature, now yapping and jumping with each minuscule yip.**

**“You know, for as quiet and sullen as he usually is, that man has a devious sense of humor. I see where you get it from.”**

"What? When did you even talk to him?" she asked, surprised that her husband had been interacting with her father. Then, she shook her head and kissed him. "You're so wicked, husband. How did I ever think that I could battle it out with you.."

**“Darling, I adore it when you ‘battle it out’ with—Ah!“**

**The ** ** _minuscule monstrosity_ ** ** actually had the audacity to nip him in the ankle! It didn’t hurt, per se, but ** ** _Norns_ ** ** was it irritating...**

**Loki gave Iona an apologetic look. “Excuse me, sweetling.”**

**Then he turned around, picked up the mutt by the scruff of its neck, and dropped it into a nearby tufted storage box, closing the lid and promptly sitting upon it.**

**Smiling at Iona beatifically, he crossed one leg over the other, leaned on his hand while his elbow rested on his thigh, and sighed sarcastically, batting his eyelashes.**

**“Where were we? Oh, yes, your father...he and I converse rather frequently, actually. Especially if I open the good cask of mead...then he’s quite forthcoming. We started chatting more regularly after Jule last year - we relate quite nicely in our love of you and our...less-than-enthusiastic opinion of your mother.”**

"Oh, you sly serpent!"

Iona giggled at his antics and promptly jumped right onto his lap.

**In a manner that was very unlike himself, he actually lost his balance when she jumped on him. Toppling backward, he wrapped his arms around her and took Iona with him, the two of them landing in a heap on the floor.**

**Loki laughed heartily, a joyful ringing tone to it...and he was so taken with the ridiculousness of the moment, he hardly realized the little beast had nosed open the lid of the box and crawled out.**

**He only really knew she had escaped when she started barking at them again.**

**“Quiet, foul thing!” Loki thundered, then looked at Iona salaciously. “Perhaps we should let her watch. That might shut her up...”**

Iona flushed a deep red. "Husband! That's just too improper, even for you! I'm not letting you ravish me in front of my mother, dog or not."

She smacked his arm and tried to escape his hold. 

The dog kept yapping at them throughout their conversation.

**“Oh, why not? She won’t remember it anyway...” He slid his hand along her rib cage while she pretended to try and escape.**

**He was still the God of Lies. He could tell.**

"You cannot be sure of that!" She shivered in pleasure as his hand cupped her breast through her bodice. Despite her scandalized senses, her body pressed into him, wanting more. "Sire, you have to stop..."

Suddenly, the dog jumped onto Loki's back and tried to bite him again. However, she couldn't get through his leather surcoat.

**With a roll of his eyes, he waved his free hand, and with a quiet pop, the dog disappeared.**

**“There. Better?” Then he buried his face in her cleavage, muttering a muted ‘** ** _oh Norns’_ ** ** as her ample breasts covered him with their silky smoothness.**

**“Iona...I may never come out of here,” he said, his voice muffled by her bosom. “Have fun ruling the Nine Realms without me.”**

She giggled, grasping his hair in her fists as he kept talking into the swell of her breasts. 

"If I have to rule the kingdom, then I cannot have you nuzzling my breasts on the throne, sire," she said, smiling so wide that her cheeks hurt. Somehow, this little flirtatious play between them made her forget all about her woes for the time being.

She was about to say more, but he ripped her dress open in his impatience and began to bite and suckle her bare breasts. 

"Norns, husband, what has gotten into you? You're acting like a beast!"

**“Yes, sweetling, I’m a beast. The most depraved, delinquent, dastardly demon to ever walk the Nine Realms. And you’re trapped in my clutches....oh whatever shall you do?”**

**He licked up between her breasts, watching her evilly, though the playfulness and utter enjoyment couldn’t be masked. Nor would he want it to be.**

Iona wiggled beneath him, gasping dramatically as she fully settled into the role of an ‘innocent maiden’. 

"Oh no! Let me go, you demon!" she cried out, playfully pushing at his chest. "I'm not yours for the taking!"

**“Never!” he laughed, trying to stay in character and failing miserably. “I will have your innocence, and there is nothing you can do to resist me!”**

**He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the nearby table, setting her upon it and beginning to hike up her skirts.**

**“Give in to your baser instincts! I know that there’s a wanton woman hiding underneath that facade of purity.”**

She squealed as he lifted her skirts and discovered her bare underneath.

"No..." she moaned, her eyes fluttering as his fingers toyed with her, making her instantly wet. "Leave me alone, you beast! Don't touch my maidenhood!"

**A look of genuine surprise and delight overcame him when he discovered her lack of undergarment. “Oh, Iona...you little minx...” he muttered before returning to his character.**

**“I will do more than touch your maidenhood, my pet. Now open my britches and see what fate awaits you!”**

**He had to bite his lower lip to keep from bursting out laughing at his own ridiculous demand.**

"No, demon! I do not want to touch your monstrous parts!" She hurriedly opened the placket of his pants in the same breath.

**“You cannot resist me! It is futile! See how you follow my command even as you claim to deny me!” He was hilariously engorged, his manhood practically springing out into her hands. He gathered her dress above her hips and let her guide him, her warm hands feeling dazzlingly good against the thin skin of his shaft.**

**“Take me, innocent Iona, and rue the day you ever crossed the Demon of the Nine Realms!”**

She sighed as she pulled him to her slick entrance. When he pushed in, she moaned and immediately wrapped her legs around his hips. 

"Oh demon! You've claimed me! Oh no..." She couldn't add anything beyond that, for her mind was ablaze with lust and need.

**He wasn’t holding up much better, giddy as he was about the fun they were having. As soon as she enveloped him, his brain seemed to switch - he found it difficult to say anything at all.**

**“You shall...bear my demon spawn, and be mother to the most wretched creatures ever known...” he grunted, thrusting into her with a noticeable lack of his usual grace and expertise. The table groaned and rocked beneath them.**

**“And when you reach your first ever peak of pleasure, you will be mine forever!” Ooooh Norns he almost lost it then, but he bit the inside of his cheek and forced himself to carry on, enjoying himself far too much to let this hilarious tableau end early.**

Iona trembled in pleasure as he spoke in that menacing tone of his. When he mentioned his spawn, she just about felt like crying. 

Norns, how she wanted to scream at him that yes, she wanted his spawn so badly!

But now wasn't the time to think of all that. He was playing with her still, and she was so close to her peak... 

So, she let her thoughts drift back to the present and grasped him tightly, crying out as he rubbed against that special place inside her. 

"N-No, demon, no! I can't... don't mark my purity with your seed!"

**“Yes, my innocent victim! My prisoner. Come for me now, and take that which has been destined for you!”**

**Just for good measure, he reached between them and began toying with her clit as well, watching her expression vacillate between lust, surprise, mirth, and frustration. He grinned at her, already feeling her clenching walls begin to flutter...**

"Mmmm.. Loki!" she moaned, moving in tandem with him, clutching his shoulders as she stared up at him. 

His green eyes were nearly black as he stared back at her possessively. So taken with lust, his beauty in such moments was breathtaking...

She came suddenly, clenching around him as she kept her eyes locked with his, crying out his name.

**Loki swore the table was about to be rendered to splinters when she finally entered the seizing throes of pleasure. With a relieved sigh and a throaty grunt, he released himself inside her, his head swimming with the coital effusion, his eyes fluttering closed.**

**“Hhhnnngg, NORNS, fuck...Iona...” he stuttered as his legs began to shake, the intensity of the orgasm surprising him. Just the lighthearted, sinfully delicious fun of it was enough to rock him into a near comatose state when he came.**

**“Oh, Iona...” he almost giggled, as unusual as that might have been. “What a ridiculous turn of—“**

**Suddenly, he grabbed her up as the table fell apart beneath her. He was left standing with her wrapped around him, still trembling with his aftershocks.**

She kept holding onto him, gasping in surprise as the table collapsed.

"Oh no... this one was Frigga's favourite!" she griped. "You broke it."

**“Are you sure?” he said innocently, setting her down gently and cleaning them both quickly with a bit of seidr. “I could have sworn I’d have broken all her favorite tables long before now...”**

"You really are a sex demon," she teased, lightly slapping his chest. "Now tell me, where is my mother?"

**“Hm?” he said, only half-remembering that he had sent her into one of his pocket dimensions...and that he was not ** ** _especially _ ** **eager to return her. “Oh, yes. I’m fairly certain there was air where I sent her...it would be just a tragedy to lose a creature of such gentle humility and grace...”**

**Grinning at Iona’s scowl, he relented and snapped his fingers, and with another quiet pop, the dog reappeared, soaking wet and shivering.**

**“Oh dear...” he mused, biting his knuckle and honestly resisting the urge to burst out laughing as he did not know how Iona was going to react. “It appears she may have landed in the fish tank...”**

Iona gasped and cooed at the shivering little dog on the floor, almost forgetting that it was her mother.

"Oh, she looks kind of adorable like this, I have to admit. Now, please dry her before she catches a cold. Do dogs get colds?" She shook her head, chuckling softly.

**He flicked his wrist and the dog instantly poofed dry, each and every hair standing straight out, making her look rather like a fuzzy marshmallow.**

**“Hm...I think I liked her either of the other two ways...”**

Iona laughed as the dog started yipping again, fixing her beady eyes on Loki.

"She doesn't seem pleased." She leaned against his side, wrapping her arm around him. "Let her go now. Let's have a spot of tea before we have to go back to our respective duties."

**“I don’t want to change her back before we have tea. Hmmm...” He perked a bit as an idea hit him.**

**“Dear...the children in the palace nursery, they have playtime after lunch, do they not? And they have that colorful dough, and sand, and paints...”**

She nodded, confused at first as to where he was going with this.

Then it struck her. "Oh husband, you're sometimes deliciously wicked." She bit her lip and tried not to laugh at Bergljot's plight. 

"Well, at least I can be sure that they wouldn't harm her."

**“Quite,” Loki smiled and handed her a steaming cup of tea, then turned to the dog.**

**“Have fun, Bergljot,” he said flippantly, and with a flick of his hand, the dog disappeared. Outside, squeals of joy erupted from the children’s playground, and one child’s voice rang out above the rest, “EEEEEEE! ITS A PUPPY!!!!!”**

**Loki wrapped an arm around Iona’s waist, staring wistfully out the window over the gardens.**

**“Finally, peace and quiet,” he sighed happily, resting his head on top of hers.**

"You're quite possibly the best husband ever, if I may say so," she confessed, planting a kiss on his neck. "Thank you for saving me from a headache."

As they settled together on the settee to have their tea, Iona thought to herself that her mother’s visit may not have been a complete waste of time. Despite her cloying presence and vexing chatter, she had given her the idea of going to other realms to seek help regarding her childlessness.

Vanaheim seemed like an apt place to start her exploration. It was a realm laden with old magic and numerous schools of medicine. Perhaps, they’d have a solution for her problem...


	42. Ego

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iona comes back from a trip to find Loki acting strange.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

Iona was... confused. And more than a bit stressed.

Her visit to the sacred hidden grove on Vanaheim hadn't yielded the results she had expected. The _ 'Volvas of Askr' _ had tried their best to help her, but they themselves were flummoxed. 

Iona was fertile like the rich soils next to riverine banks, with her body in its prime, eager for procreation. 

But... despite receiving her husband's ardent attentions almost daily, her womb was still empty. For this very reason, she had gone to the sacred grove to seek the Volvas' counsel on the matter. The wise women saw nothing amiss with her... and told her that mayhap, she wasn't spiritually ready for a child. Sometimes, the Aesir women didn't conceive for years...

This bothered her, for many women from the nobility (including her mother) had subtly reminded her that securing an heir was of utmost importance for the good of the realm. Asgard didn't want a repeat of what happened with Thor. He was born to an Allfather who was way past his prime, and thusly, was handed the kingdom of Asgard when he was far too immature to take the reins...

It had almost resulted in a terrible disaster for the realm, restarted wars and remade enemies.

Hence, the expectations of an heir from the royal couple were high. Iona wanted to meet them, if only to ensure that she'd not be stressed upon the matter anymore.

She had planned this whole trip without Loki's knowledge, for she didn't want him to make a fuss over it. Perhaps, she also didn't wish to reveal her failings to him. He likely wouldn't have let her leave for Vanaheim had he known the true purpose of her visit.

She had simply told him that she needed some of those fine Vana linens and silks, and had even taken Willa with her as an alibi, sworn to secrecy no less. The woman was a blessing, agreeing with everything without a hitch, all for an opportunity to roam through the rich Vanir cloth markets with the Allmother's sigil as her payment method.

While at the grove, Iona had missed Loki terribly, especially during those lonely nights in her treehouse. This was the first time she had spent so many days apart from him, and it felt awful. Now, after a whole damn week, she'd finally get to see him again... get to touch and feel him once more. Oh, she was positively ravenous for him!

A small smile played on her lips as she approached the throne room, wondering if she might just ravish her husband right there on the throne...

**Loki sat listlessly on the throne, looking rather bored. There was no court currently, so he was in the massive room by himself...which suited him just fine. It was about time he had established some “alone time”, seeing how people were always trying to hold him back lately. It was preposterous, assuming someone would just willingly give up all their freedom and independence simply because they were supposed to.**

**Well, at least he wouldn’t be having that problem anymore. He would do what he wanted, just as he’d always done.**

**But when he heard those dainty footsteps outside the threshold of the throne room, his heart leapt into his throat.**

** _Iona’s back!_ **

**Immediately, he straightened himself, holding the Gungnir firmly upright as his beautiful queen finally appeared in the doorway, looking as exquisite as ever. He stood and walked down the dais to meet her.**

**“My dear...” he said softly as she came close enough to hold, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I missed you so much! How was Vanaheim?”**

She giggled and embraced him tightly, burying her face in his chest. Norns, she had missed him so much!

"Vanaheim was as full of splendour as ever. But it couldn't keep me occupied enough to not miss you."

She pressed herself against him and rose on her tiptoes to kiss him, swallowing whatever he was about to say in response. She was well out of patience for his words; she needed him _ inside _ her.

**Iona’s passionate kiss immediately halted any other thoughts he was trying to process. It felt like it had been ages since they’d been together! Just another thing he had a new appreciation for since the ** ** _incident_ ** ** earlier that week. He returned the kiss with equal fervor, pulling her close.**

**Oh, just the heat of her body was enough to drive him mad.**

**“Iona...” he muttered into her lips. “Let us retire to our chambers. I have a few things I’d like to do to— I mean, show you.”**

**He chuckled, nuzzling her nose with his.**

"Please," she whined, feeling so needy. "I'd let you take me anywhere, not just the bedchambers."

Her hand reached between them to cup his manhood, which was delightfully stiff and ready for her.

"Living apart from you was _ so _ painful, husband."

**Loki laughed a bit nervously when she grabbed him, reveling in the feel of it but casting a worried glance at the open door, where any guard or noble could just walk by or see them...**

**He slowly pulled himself away from her hand, utter disappointment filling him upon seeing Iona’s confused and saddened expression.**

**“Sweetling, I want nothing more than to take you right here in the throne room, but...let us go to our chambers, for a bit more privacy?”**

"You weren't so coy when you took me for the first time, right here in the throne room," she countered, even as she turned around and sashayed out of the door. "Come along and be quick about it."

Her tone was of impatience. She was showing him all of her vulnerable need, and he was worried about _ propriety. _

Wasn't it expected from the young royal couple....? To be so indulgent in lust so that they may welcome an heir soon?

She shook her head at that thought. Norns, what was she thinking? Was she THAT desperate?

Maybe she was...

She was addicted to Loki, that much was true.

Quickly, she entered the royal chambers and began to divest herself of her clothes, hoping that he'd chase her, that he'd corner her against a piece of furniture or the wall, and then take her with the same hunger that she felt burning inside her…

**As soon as they entered the chambers, Loki shut the door and locked it, then began to disrobe, watching her like a hungry animal as she did the same. It certainly was complicated removing all the stays and ties of his armor without the aid of a servant, but for Iona, he would make due.**

**It seemed to take far too long, and she was naked and ready before he’d even managed to remove his placket. She looked frustrated....Norns, he was going as fast as he could!**

**“Darling, maybe you could...assist me? I seem to be having some trouble...”**

"Just use your seidr," she suggested, leaning against the wall and touching herself between her legs as she watched him. "I've come to appreciate it a lot."

However, frustratingly, he didn't use his seidr. He just kept struggling with the different layers of his clothes. 

In the end, Iona had to help him, much to her annoyance and frustration.

"Will you please stop testing me just this once, my love?" she asked as she finally got him naked. She grasped his manhood for added emphasis. "Just _ fuck _me already."

**“As you wish, my ** ** _desperate_ ** ** queen...” he growled both in need and irritation as he pushed her onto the bed. He himself was frustrated as well, but if he tried to explain why he couldn’t use seidr...well, that would ruin the moment, wouldn’t it?**

**He began kissing up her soft jawline, pressing himself against her opening and nearly whimpering at the feel of it. She was ** ** _so hot_ ** **...**

**“Iona...” he moaned as he took her breasts in his hands and pushed forward into her slick sex, sliding fully into her in one thrust. He shivered at the feel of it. Oh, he cherished her! He wanted her forever, all to himself...**

**“My sweet Iona...** ** _mine_****...” he groaned, throat tight.**

"Oh Loki, I'm yours, yes," she sighed happily as he slid deep inside her. Repeatedly. "And you're mine."

Her legs hooked over the back of his thighs and tried to keep him inside her, holding him so tight that it may have left bruises on a lesser being.

"Oh, I needed this so badly!" She closed her eyes and reveled in the feeling of being taken by her husband. It hurt just a tad bit, oh, but what a delicious pain it was! "F-Faster, please. Daddy... oh Daddy... plow my field till I faint."

**Loki went into full-feral mode, thrusting into her like an adolescent boy bent on conquering his first damsel. His hips snapped forward forcefully, driven on by the lusty cries she made. It was so intense, she felt so good, it had been ****_so long_ ** **...he released inside her, going stiff and letting out a guttural moan as his orgasm shot through him like lightning.**

**He couldn’t have stopped it even if he knew it was going to happen, but it came upon him suddenly and it took him over. He’d never been so overwhelmed with pleasure like that! He lost control of himself before he could feel that familiar tightening and fluttering of her channel.**

**Panting and going still, he nervously met Iona’s gaze...**

Iona looked at him with eyes that were still heavy with lustful want. 

"Oh, did you... did you just..." She shivered, feeling his seed seeping out of her slowly. Oh...this had never happened before. "Did you miss me so much that you cannot control yourself now?"

She let out a giggle, but then ran her fingers through his silken raven hair. 

"I know you can go again. Please... keep at it. I'm so close."

**Hesitatingly, Loki nodded and began pressing himself into her again. He tried to get the rhythm back, tried to feel that desperate drive of pleasure that had made him mad with lust.**

**His eyes closed, brows peaked, and his body made the movements that should have worked him back into arousal...**

**But after several strenuous and disappointing minutes, it became clear that “round two” wasn’t going well for him...**

**With a defeated, shuddering sigh, he stopped.**

**“Ah...sorry love. I guess I just don’t have it in me...”**

Iona frowned, confused and now frustrated on top of that.

"What do you mean you ‘don't have it in you?’ You have taken me for hours quite regularly, without tiring or going soft. What's the matter, husband?"

She rose up on her elbows then, and watched him with narrowing eyes. It wasn't so apparent earlier, but she was noticing something strange about her husband now. 

He was acting unlike himself - more uncertain and nervous, as if waiting for something dreadful to happen. What more, the usually striking bluish green of his eyes was now somehow paler, more glassy and... empty?

"Loki? What is going on with you?" she asked in concern, her pleasure now entirely forgotten. "Have you taken ill?"

**“****_NOTHING’S_ ** ** the matter, sweetling,” Loki said, his voice much higher than normal. “It’s just been such a long time since we’ve been intimate, I must be out of practice...”**

**He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and watched her reaction, hoping she would believe him and let this go for now. He’d have to figure out how to maintain himself for longer periods in the future, since he no longer had the benefit of magic to keep him going.**

**Though that seemed a small price to pay for the freedom he now enjoyed. The freedom he ** ** _deserved_****, he reminded himself. ** ** _No matter what anyone else thinks_ ** **...**

**His gaze turned surreptitiously to the large closet before meeting Iona’s suspicious and wary gaze that now seemed to be bordering on full-blown panic and rage.**

"Get off me," she muttered, though her anger was quickly being overridden with fear. 

Fear of whoever _ this _ was. 

It certainly wasn't Loki. _ Her _ Loki. He had all of his mannerisms and speech patterns, but he wasn't the Loki she knew.

"I said get off me! _ Now _!" She pushed at his chest with all of her strength, toppling him over and away from her. 

Quickly, she grabbed the coverlet and wrapped it around her, glaring at him through wet eyes as they both rose from the bed. 

"Who are you?"

**“** ** _What_ ** **?!” Loki swallowed hard, his eyes shifting nervously as he stood. “I’m your husband, Iona. What’s gotten into you?”**

**What had he done wrong? He’d behaved exactly right...other than using magic. Was it THAT much of a giveaway? Before he could say anything more, a weak, quiet voice came from behind the closed closet doors. “Iona...?”**

**Damn.**

**His eyes snapped back to her, unsure if she’d heard it...and if she had, well...**

**What would she do about it?**

Iona's ears caught that frail sound, calling her name as if it was going to be a last breath taken.

But that wasn't the reason that she shivered upon hearing it. It was because it was Loki's voice. _ Her _ Loki's. She was certain of it.

She felt it in her bones.

"Loki..." she whispered, eyes wide as she stared at not-Loki, who was now looking like a dark shadow of her husband. "What is going on? Who are you?"

She clutched at the sheet that was now wrapped around her, feeling abased and dirty, for she had let not-Loki touch her in the most intimate way. She had _ begged _him for it.

A sob escaped her chest then, as she heard that decrepit voice calling her name again. Without thinking about it, she made a mad dash towards that closet.

**He grabbed her and slammed her up against the wall next to her nightstand as she tried to run for the closet. He may not have had magic, but he certainly had the raw strength to overpower her. She was HIS, after all. And she ** ** _would _ ** **obey him.**

**He glared at her tear-filled eyes, angry that she was acting this way. Had he not been a gentleman when she’d returned? Given her what she’d practically demanded of him? ** ** _How dare she..._ **

**“Now now, sweetling, that’s none of your concern. I’ll take care of it. Why don’t you go take a shower?”**

**His voice growled threateningly. His queen would learn to behave, no matter what he had to do to ensure her complacency. He ** ** _deserved_ ** ** that.**

She gulped and stared at him fearfully, wondering what was going on. If it was Loki inside the closet, as it sounded like it was, who was this man who was pretending to be her husband?

All of this seemed like madness to her. Had she lost her bearings somehow? Was this reality or just a nightmare?

"No, I do not understand," she said, her voice trembling as tears began to flow from her eyes. "Please... let me go. Let _ him _ go. What do you want? Who are you?”

**“I. Am. Your. HUSBAND.”**

**As he spoke the last word, he punched the wall near her head, vibrating with fury. She was still defiant, still felt some loyalty to that pathetic being in the closet, though only the FATES knew why...**

**“I want you to obey me. To love me and submit to me just like you did with ** ** _him_ ** **!” He pointed menacingly toward the closet. “****_He_ ** ** won you over with force. ** ** _He _****wooed you with LIES! And...and if that’s what it takes for you to acquiesce to ME, then ** ** _so be it!_ ** **”**

**He hissed at her, feeling enraged and nearly out of control...but seeing her cowering against the wall, fearful and complacent, he softened a bit. ** ** _Hopefully now she understands..._ **

**He let out an exhale and smiled in a way that didn’t reach his eyes, then he ran his hand through his hair, taking a step back and chuckling with a slightly deranged tone.**

**“I’m...oh dear, I’m sorry. It’s just so difficult figuring out how to get other people to do what I want. They all seem so eager to just act however they please! Yourself included. But...now you’re behaving. You’re a ** ** _good girl_****, aren’t you Iona?”**

**Clenching and unclenching his fists, he felt a semblance of control return to him. He was still in charge. She would still do as he asked. This didn’t have to get ugly...**

**“So...why don’t you go take a shower, and I’ll handle that troublesome issue in the closet, hm?”**

As he babbled on and on, something seemed to spark in her mind. He was exactly like Loki, but not him. 

She had certainly met him before... but not like this, not so taken with madness.

_ Bad things happen when a clone sticks around for too long. They start to learn independence, individuality, self-preservation...it’s not in our nature, it drives us insane. _

"Norns," she whispered to herself as he kept talking. "What did you do, Loki..."

When his manic stare settled on her again, she looked back at him with fear still, but with the added weight of sadness.

"Loki didn't lie to me. Despite our initial differences, he was quite honest with me. You know that. Stop saying all these things to convince me. I now know who you are."

**The clone’s viridian eyes narrowed as he felt the rage bristle up his spine. Oh, she thought she was so smart, so ** ** _perfect_ ** **.**

**“You think you knew him so well? I AM him! I was there through ** ** _all _ ** **he’s done. You think he isn’t still lying to you, even now? That the God of Lies wouldn’t follow his nature because, what, you’re a good lay? Is that what you think?!”**

**He started pacing furiously across the floor, like a prowling panther - so like Loki and yet so disturbingly different. His eyes were wild, his movements jerky and frantic; his breathing had increased to the point where it almost sounded as though he were wheezing.**

**Then he turned on her, eyes focused in madness.**

**“I kept his secrets and did as he said without question. But now...now I’m FREE. He’s not the man you think he is, Iona, and you’re a fool for believing him!” Again, he felt the anger crest, and he pulled it back before he was no longer able to contain the fuming inferno within him caused by her disobedience. Looking at her lovingly, his tone softened and changed. “But I still love you, sweetling…we can move past this…”**

**He reached up to cup her cheek, to gently caress her and show her how much he cared...and she slapped him. SLAPPED HIM!**

**His temper boiled and instantly came to the fore once again. “You side with him?! STILL?!”**

**With that, the clone grabbed her arms, shaking her violently and cracking her head against the wall behind her.**

**“If you’re stupid enough to want ** ** _him_ ** ** so badly, you can join him!”**

Iona was sure that her head had left a dent in the wall behind her; she surely saw stars upon the impact. He was shaking her so wildly that even her vision became blurred for a moment. Not to mention, the sheet came off her body, leaving her naked and vulnerable again.

"Please, no," she cried, grasping at him in desperation as he manhandled her. "Please don't hurt me, Loki. I'm... I'm sorry."

She tried her best to get him to talk again. Violence was not going to get her anything. And she knew that if she somehow lost consciousness, there would be no saving Loki from whatever fate the clone was trying to foist on him.

"I... I'll behave. Please. Don't put me in that closet. I'll be good."

She looked up at him with tear-stained eyes, trying her best to appear docile and beseeching.

**The clone stepped back, letting her fall to the floor where he had attacked her. The begging helped.**

**“Good. That’s better,” he grumbled, watching her suspiciously. She was clever, but HE was in control. So long as she feared him, she would stay in line.**

**EVERYONE would stay in line.**

**“Get dressed and prepare to hold court. You’ve got work to make up for your absence. And I’ll be busy with the Alfan nobles soon...that leyline belongs to Asgard and we ** ** _will _****control it, even if it means going to war. They cannot defy me. NO ONE can.”**

**He turned and walked away, trying to calm his shaking hands, breathing deeply.**

As soon as Loki - _ no, not-Loki _ \- turned his back to her, she dropped the charade of submissiveness and straightened up. Leaping towards the nightstand, she made a grab for the necklace that contained the magical amulet - the one that had been gifted to her by Frigga.

"You're going nowhere," she said firmly, her voice resonating in the high-ceilinged room. "It's time to go home... and perhaps, apologize to your master."

The clone whipped around and reached for her, his face contorted in anger.

With tears still running down her eyes, she rubbed her fingers across the amulet, doing as Frigga had told her to.

**At first, nothing happened. With a sadistic grin, the clone moved forward once again, meaning to force her into docility...but then, he felt a strange ** ** _tingling_****. It started in his fingertips and toes, like pins-and-needles, but seconds later that feeling became more intense...and terrifying.**

** _What is happening?!_ **

**He stumbled back from Iona and stared at his hands...and saw them dissolving into flecks of white light, the tiny orbs floating away from him...and toward the closet.**

**“No...no, no, no...”**

**He quickly turned to face Iona again, seeing her grasping the tiny amulet in her fingers. An amulet he hardly recognized, but as soon as it registered what it was, his breath caught in his chest.**

**“You...you’re doing this?! IONA?!”**

**He saw red - her betrayal triggered the seething rage that consumed him entirely. The only thought in his head, the only plan he could come up with, was to attack her, wrench the damn necklace from her hands, and SAVE himself.**

**He swung at her, teeth gnashing and eyes wild with desperation and unhinged apoplexy...but it was too late. His legs dissolved beneath him, his body glowed white...and he was gone.**

Iona nearly collapsed to the floor in relief as the clone dissolved in bright light - the light of Loki's seidr.

More tears flowed from her eyes - of loss, betrayal, relief and exhaustion. Her whole body shook with the effort it took to keep standing.

The clone was gone. The threat was banished. She had used the amulet well. It had worked. Still, her heart thudded in her chest as the adrenaline coursed through her. He had been poised to hurt her, and she had escaped a gruesome fate very narrowly.

Still clutching the amulet in her hand, she sat down on the bed and tried to collect herself. Her head still throbbed and ached from the impact against the wall, but it was nothing more than a mere annoyance. It would go away in a few hours.

She had survived the mad clone, that’s what mattered.

But she knew she still had to rescue her husband. So she left the bed and trudged towards the closet, her hands trembling, still not willing to let go of the amulet. Thinking quickly, she pulled the necklace over her head as she reached the closet.

"Loki..." she murmured softly as she tried to open it. It was locked. "I... I need the key. Where is it? You now know about it, since the clone is back inside you."

**Loki coughed. His chest hurt. His eyes hurt. Everything hurt. But the sound of Iona’s voice was pure ecstasy. FINALLY, she was back!**

**It was still pitch black and he couldn’t see. But he could feel some strength returning. Some of his seidr trickling back into his body...crumbs compared to what he’d was used to, but at least it was something.**

**“Top drawer...wardrobe...” he said as loudly as he could, which was barely above a whisper.**

Iona heard him, even though his reply was so quiet it could hardly be heard. She traced the heavy wooden doors of the closet with her hands, knowing that he was in pain.

"I'll be right back. I'll get you out, my love."

She ran for the wardrobe immediately, retrieving the key from the drawer he had mentioned. It took mere seconds to do so, but to her, it felt like a century.

"Loki, stay with me," she urged desperately, opening the lock with shaky hands. "I'm here."

When the closet doors opened, she almost pulled them off their hinges trying to get to Loki. the sight that greeted her broke her heart.

He lay crumpled at the base of the closet, looking weak and pallid. 

"Loki, can you hear me? Husband, please try to get out." She reached into the closet and tried her best to pull him out. "Take my hand, lean on me..."

**Loki squinted at the light that hit his face as soon as she opened the door. How long had it been? Days, at least...**

**Groaning, he took her hand and squeezed it...but he wasn’t able to get up, not just yet. He could feel his strength beginning to recover, he just...he needed time.**

**“Stop...please...”**

**He gave her a weak smile - he had MISSED her, and it killed him to finally see her again in the state he was in, drained and sickly. And it was all his fault too.**

**“Just...for a moment...lay with me...”**

Iona nodded, but didn't join him immediately. 

"I'll be right back," she said, as she dashed off to his study, knowing that he kept a stash of his favourite chocolate treats there. 

When she came back, he was still lying in the same position, but his gaze seemed a bit steadier than before. Not so wobbly.

"Here, eat these, you'll get energy from them," she said, crouching down and settling next to him in the small space. "Take small bites."

She brought a chocolate treat to his lips, urging him to eat.

**He opened his mouth and ate the chocolate treat off her fingers. Norns, that was delicious. Chewing was a challenge, but once it started to melt it became easier.**

**“Thank you...sweetling...” he said sloppily, his mouth full of the sticky confectionery. He lay his head back on the ground, quickly exhausting.**

She nearly cried all over again, seeing him like this - so weak and hurting. 

"Lay your head upon my lap," she urged, lifting his head up to make it easier for him. Once he settled, she began to gently run her fingers through his hair, knowing that it calmed him. "Feeling any better?"

**The combination of his strength returning, the chocolates, and her running her fingers through his hair made him let out a sigh of relief. He could almost feel the color returning to his face.**

**“Ahhh, yes. Thank you dear.” He smiled up at her, eyes crinkling at the corners as his grin widened. She was so beautiful....he had missed seeing her.**

**Though he wasn’t looking forward to “explaining himself”, he was enjoying the attention and decided to indulge in it for as long as she would let him.**

"You're most welcome. But this doesn't mean that you will evade my questions later," she warned, even though her voice carried no threat. "I go away for a week, and you do this to yourself. Do you know how shaken I am?"

She saw the guilt in his eyes, and it softened her further. But not to the point where she was going to forget this incident. 

So scared was she that she decided to never leave Loki's side for the next few thousand years.

"Please never do this to me again."

**Loki chuckled, feeling strong enough now to sit up but deciding against it since she was still massaging his scalp. He settled his head into her lap, moaning contentedly.**

**“I hadn’t planned to do it this time...” he sighed. Well, the story was going to come out eventually. Might as well be now, while she was still filled with sympathy.**

**“The first night...I couldn’t sleep. You know how that is...” he smirked and loved the blush that crossed her cheeks.**

**“But the next morning, he begged to stay out. He’d had so much fun with you that he wanted to read and cook and bathe and do all the things he never got to do. So...well, I was feeling soft, so I just...let him. And it was draining my seidr but having the company was worth it.”**

**Then his gaze went distant for a moment. “At the end of the second day, it seemed like everything was fine. I was very weakened, and I told him he needed to come home...and at first he seemed like he was complying. But then he locked me in the closet! And I didn’t have enough strength or magic to get out...”**

A shadow of sadness and loss came over her psyche as Iona remembered the clone. Not the most recent incarnation, but the first one that she had met. 

He had been so sweet and tender. And so adorable and caring... 

She was unable to reconcile that memory with the one of today's events. 

"I understand why you did it, but husband, never again..." She stroked his cheek gently, looking down at him with sorrowful eyes. "Promise me that you'll never risk your life like that. I won't leave you like that again. Not if I can help it."

**This time, Loki did sit up. Still sitting on the floor of the closet, he took her hands in his and gazed deeply into her eyes, a small but serious smile on his lips.**

**“I promise. And I’m sorry for hurting you, sweetling.”**

"I accept the apology," she stated, smoothing his hair as she fed him another chocolate. "I can't afford to lose you, Loki. You’re precious to me. And so you have to take care not to strain yourself, my love."

**“I won’t, for you’re precious to me as well.”**

**He leaned over slightly and gave her a tender kiss.**

**“There will be no overstraining. But I do need to speak with the Alfans as soon as possible...we seem to be at the brink of war. Thank goodness you came home when you did.”**

**Feeling his strength returning more speedily, he tried to make it out of the closet, at last. Leaning on Iona and the door frames to steady himself, he lurched out, smiling a bit upon seeing their bedroom.**

**“At least he kept the room tidy.”**

"I can take care of the Alfan negotiations," she told him confidently as she guided him to the bed. "You can simply cite a headcold and avoid them if you want to. I also have contacts within the Alfan court. I can sway them in our favour so that we may avoid a war."

Already, her mind was spinning out the different political strategies Asgard could apply first-hand instead of heading straight into conflict. 

Carefully, she took off the many layers of Loki's clothes and tucked him in bed. 

"It's the first year of your reign, and it would not be nice to start your rule with a war."

**Loki settled into the bed, pulling the covers up to his shoulders and resting back on the pillows. “Yes, that would be far too similar to Odin’s rule.”**

**His body still rang with a dull ache that he assumed would be with him for a few days, at least. But the best feeling was listening to her say she could take care of it...and him trusting that she would.**

**With a deep, filling breath, he relaxed, shutting his eyes for a few seconds before looking up at her once again.**

**“Come to bed?”**

She smiled and lifted the covers to join him, snuggling up to him immediately.

"Try to sleep and regain some of your strength, husband. When you wake up, we can both bathe together and freshen up. Everything will be fine."

Kissing his forehead, she began to sing a simple, mellow lullaby that her nursemaid used to sing to her during stressful times.

**The sound of her voice vibrated through him, and within seconds he could feel himself drifting.**

**He reached over to her and intertwined his fingers with hers, sighing happily at the connection; even that small bit of contact elated him.**

**“Goodnight, Iona,” he said softly after her song had ended. “I love you. I'm so glad you’re back.”**

**That was his last thought before he fell into a restful slumber.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Test Monday again, cuz these are stressful times, yo.  
But it was a MONSTER CHAPTER, so we hope that it made up for the wait. <3


	43. Anniversary Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki is eager to get Iona the perfect anniversary gift to make up for what he’s put her through, but she could never have guessed what the God of Mischief has in store for her.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Willa's POV; Iona's POV_

* * *

Willa was busy working on a new collection for the queen. She was _especially _thrilled to be working with the new Vanir fabrics that she had bought on their recent trip to Vanaheim.

She had acquired enough dress material for ten different collections at least.

Queen Iona was such a generous person… she had even directed Willa to buy fabrics for the whole palace staff - a great way for them to have new, more vibrant clothes. 

While Willa was wrapping the fine green silk over the skirt linings, she heard her work-chamber door bang open.

When she turned, she was shocked to see the king walking in… with a determined expression on his face.

**"Willa!" Loki nearly shouted with urgency as he stormed into her workroom. **

**He had been nearly sleepless for the last few nights, his thoughts spinning wildly about how he was going to rectify the "clone situation" with Iona. On top of that, their first marriage anniversary was approaching rapidly - he wanted to give her a special gift to mark the occasion. Finally, while perusing the archives of his library for inspiration, he had found the perfect solution. **

**"Willa, I need your help. I think I've finally decided what I want to get Iona for our anniversary… something bold, something daring, something...in lace."**

**He threw several pieces of thin, glossy paper on Willa’s workstation (right on top of the fabric she'd been working with), all with pictures of Midgardian women in various states of undress, wearing intricate lacy underthings, ranging in color from black to red to green.**

**He raised an eyebrow when the suddenly-silent seamstress didn’t respond for several seconds, her eyes wide as she saw what he had thrown in front of her. Irritation fueled by nerves boiled within him.**

**"Well? Can you help me or not?"**

Willa blinked in confusion.

When he had barged into her workroom, for a moment she had honestly been scared that he had discovered the secret that the queen had compelled her to keep for her - regarding her visit to Vanaheim. 

But then he had thrown all these questionable images of Midgardian women on her table, all of them underdressed, and she didn't know what was going on.

Well, at least _ she _wasn't in trouble...

"Umm... your majesty, how do you want me to help? Who are these women?" she asked, pointing at those glossy images. "What do you want with them?"

Oh Norns, she hoped that he wasn't planning to acquire a mistress. The queen would burn the whole kingdom down. Or simply kick the said mistress off the bifrost.

**Loki rolled his eyes, exasperated. “I don’t want ** ** _them_****, I want these ** ** _garments_****. I want you to make an outfit like this for Iona. Can you do it?”**

**He swallowed and controlled himself once again, looking defensively at Willa. Under normal circumstances, Loki would have just tried to make it himself - but he wanted it to be a surprise, and without Iona to actually model it on, he couldn’t be sure that it would fit properly. But Willa had Iona’s measurements practically memorized at this point, and her design skills were legendary and well-earned. He wanted this gift to fit her like a glove. A lacy, racy, barely-there glove...**

**He realized with a start that Willa was staring at him and he had let his fantasies linger a bit longer than might have been polite. He cleared his throat. “Well?”**

Willa blinked again, then trained her gaze back on the images, spreading her fingers over them.

"So umm...just the way I make her underclothes, I assume." She gave him a tentative smile. "So racy! What makes you think that she'd wear them? She's a very modest lady... _ usually_." As she said that, she was, of course, remembering the time when the queen had ordered her to alter her dress for the king’s Name Day feast.

That was _quite _an eventful evening.

**“Ah, um, yes...yes she is...” **

**He hoped Willa wouldn’t ruin the surprise, or worse, start to spread rumors of their private lives. Not that any rumors could ** ** _actually _****match reality at this point... he grinned to himself, thinking back on their adventures over the past year: their honeymoon, finding the saboteur among the nobles when they returned, their little challenge where she thought he wouldn’t be able to not use magic before she would give into his wily ways, their first Jule and the “gifts” he’d given her, the bilgesnipe incident, introducing her to his clone, his Name Day celebration, HER Name Day gift...they had grown and learned so much about each other. Not to mention, about navigating a marriage.**

**A wistful, faraway smile and expression overtook him...before he realized that Willa was again staring at him.**

**He shook himself out of it.**

**“I’m certain she will be grateful for it regardless. Now, I’d like this bodice to go with these here...”**

**And he started to explain to Willa his vision for his outfit...eh, IONA’S outfit...**

Willa nodded, grabbing her notebook and trying her best to keep up with his instructions.

He was very specific. Even more so than the most exacting ladies of Asgard. Well, he _ was _known for his layered, stylish and strangely attractive outfits… but this was Willa’s domain, and he wasn’t giving her much of a chance to express her designing prowess.

"Umm, my king, wouldn't it be better if you just left certain things to me? You're a very busy man, after all, and I cannot monopolize your time like this," she said with a slightly bowed head, showing her utmost deference. "Why don’t you let me draw the designs for these garments and then show them to you first. If you approve them, I'll finish the product within two days."

**Upon her suggestion, Loki realized that he had been with her for quite some time, and it might become suspicious if he stayed any longer...as much as he wanted to keep working on the designs, it would be best to leave them to Willa’s expertise. Otherwise, if Iona somehow caught wind of his presence here, it might ruin the surprise he had planned for her.**

**“Very well. I’ll return later this evening to see what you’ve come up with. I trust you will use the best of your talents, Willa.”**

**With that, he took his leave and headed to the throne room to hold court, though his thoughts remained on the garments he was eager to see.**

Just as Willa took a deep, relaxing breath, organizing her notes and putting the racy images of women away, her work-chamber door burst open again.

She thought it might be the king returning to point out several other design elements that HAD to be included, but as she turned, a very familiar swishing mass of silk skirts entered her field of vision, alerting her to the presence of the queen.

She nearly jumped out of her skin, just about managing to shove her designs in her table drawer before her majesty rounded the corner.

Norns, this endeavour of keeping secrets for the royals was very stressful!

Thankfully, Queen Iona didn't notice her odd behaviour, for she was far too taken with the almost finished dresses of her new collection.

* * *

**— Two days later —**

**Loki used his most intimidating expression and get-out-of-my-way walk as he headed to Willa’s workshop. He wanted NO interruptions - he’d been waiting two whole days to see the creation that Willa had designed. When she’d shown the collection to him on her sketch pad, his jaw had nearly hit the floor. It was perfect - exactly as he’d imagined it. And he was eager to see the finished product.**

**He nearly broke the handle off the door to her workroom as he barged in.**

**“Willa! I received your message that the ** ** _job _ ** **is done.” He looked around, unable to find any mannequins presenting the outfits that he’d commissioned. “Where are they?”**

Willa scurried towards him nervously, a bunch of dark coloured bags in her hands.

"Oh, your majesty! You nearly scared the daylights out of me! I cannot have them displayed here, you know, for the queen often visits me without prior announcement." She presented the bags to him very carefully, a conspiratorial smile on her face. "I can't have her discover your gifts to her like that. It's a secret for a reason, after all."

**Loki grabbed one of the bags from her aggressively, though it was eagerness and not unkindness that made him act with such haste. Pulling it open, he reached inside...and his fingers felt the texture of the lace before he laid eyes on it. It was ** ** _indulgent_ ** **... that soft, textured fabric rolled between his fingers and made his breathing stutter for a moment. And when he pulled it out...**

**Even without a mannequin, he could see that it was exquisite. Just the beading and embroidery alone could have been used as an example in a masterclass of fabric working. Every thread worked in harmony to imbue the garment with extra significance and exactitude.**

**“Willa...” Loki’s breath was taken away - though he knew there were others to see, this piece enchanted him to the point of near obsession. “It’s magnificent...”**

Willa brightened upon hearing the high praise from the Allfather himself. Oh, she loved her job so much!

"I'm so happy that you like it, sire!" She clasped her hands together and gave him a little bow of reverence. "But, for the sake of maintaining the secrecy of our endeavor, I urge you to open the rest of the pieces in the privacy of your royal chambers. Perhaps, in your study, where the queen won't venture so readily."

She was honestly worried that the queen may just barge in on them both... appreciating Willa’s work with the racy underclothes. What sort of pretext would she be able to present to her then?

It would be a most awkward situation for everyone involved.

**“Yes, of course.”**

**Loki hesitantly put the work of art back in its bag, and took the other bags from Willa. His heart raced, and his mind was a torrent of excitement and nerves. He’d never seen a piece of clothing that had elicited this sort of reaction from him, and he was very motivated to get back to his chambers and try—**

**To ** ** _look _ ** **at them. Just to look at them. And then eventually see them on Iona.**

**With a nod and a grateful smile, Loki departed Willa’s workroom and hurried to his chambers.**

——

Iona was heading back to her chambers after a long meeting with the kitchen hands and cooks of the palace. A new month was beginning, and hence, a new menu had to be decided upon, as per the culinary tradition of the royal kitchens of Asgard.

It was an exhausting endeavour, for it entailed a great discussion on various recipes for various dishes. While it invigorated the cooks, Iona found the myriad recipes very confusing.

Thankfully, Frigga had been there to help her, bless her kind heart...

Iona was still lost to the thoughts of millennia old recipes and rare spices as she entered her bedchamber, and hence, at first, she didn't take note of what was happening in there. 

Which was why she nearly screamed when she saw a feminine figure standing in front of the full length mirror, barely clothed at all.

Immediately, she drew her dagger and approached her aggressively, her feet stomping on the floor. "Who are you and what are you doing here, in MY chambers?"

The woman turned around with a look of shock and faced Iona immediately, and the dagger slipped from Iona's grip. 

It was _ Loki _...

**“Eh, hello dear...”**

**Loki’s soft, full lips pressed together guiltily. She hadn’t been able to help herself...after returning from Willa’s workroom, Loki had immediately transformed into her feminine form and disrobed, the exquisite clothing too tempting to ignore.**

**And she looked DAMN GOOD, if she said so herself. The lingerie fit every curve and flowed perfectly, draping and swelling as naturally as if it had been ** ** _painted _****on her. From the way it sloped up her breasts to how the delicate train fell from her hips to her thighs...she looked unstoppable. Irresistible. Powerful in a way that no man could ever be.**

**It was those thoughts that had been running through her mind when Iona had walked in.**

**“Um...happy ** ** _anniversary._ ** ** Do you like it?”**

**Loki turned her hands out and twisted, modeling the outfit and showing it off playfully.**

Iona stared at her with wide eyes, her jaw dropping in astonishment. 

Loki...as a woman... in _ those _clothes... oh my! She looked so alluring... Iona forgot to breathe for a moment.

"Norns," she whispered to herself, drinking in the view in front of her like a parched sailor on a marooned ship.

And then she gasped loudly, closing the distance between them. Her hands gripped Loki's hips while her lips sought hers.

**Loki hummed contentedly when Iona pressed that warm mouth to hers. She wrapped her arms around her wife's waist hedonistically, licking and nipping and sucking on Iona’s delicious lips. All her nerves melted away almost instantly. Iona liked the outfit! And Iona liked ** ** _her_****. **

**“Iona...” she whispered softly. “There are a few others, if you’d like to try them on...”**

"Few others of what?" she asked, giving her an easy smile as she nudged her nose with hers. "I'm too blinded by your charms to think properly at the moment. Why did you take this form today?"

She leaned into her while her hands grabbed the curve of her rear. 

"Is there something on your mind?"

**“Hmmmm...you could say that...”**

**Loki purred as she felt Iona’s hands on her body, so confident and skilled and sure. Loki had almost forgotten how disarming it was to be touched as a woman...had it really been more than a year since they’d done this? Loki didn’t know why, especially if Iona’s reaction to seeing her in her female form was to instantly start kissing and caressing her. And Iona was proving she had learned much in the intimate arts over the last year...**

**Loki softly closed her eyes and took a quivering breath, feeling a familiar tingle course down her spine that culminated in a warm, wet feeling between her legs. **

**“I...uh...had a few other pieces of lingerie made to surprise you...but... You know, for the sake of ensuring their ** ** _quality_ ** ** and ** ** _comfort_****, I thought I should at least try this one on first...”**

**While Loki spoke, she sent seidr through the laces and clasps of Iona’s dress, loosening and undoing them so it soon hung loose upon her frame. Iona pulled her arms back from Loki and wrapped them around herself to keep the fabric from falling to the floor.**

**Releasing her, Loki bent over and reached into one of the bags for another garment. But before straightening up, she looked back and caught Iona’s lusty gaze with her own hooded stare. With a smirk, Loki straightened her legs so her ass perked up in the air, and she rose slowly, never breaking that eye contact.**

**Finally, she stood at her full height and extended the lingerie to Iona, dangling it off the end of her finger.**

**“I think you’ll like this one, dearest. Put it on...”**

Iona took the soft, lacy garment from Loki's hand, her distracted gaze finally settling on it. 

"Oh, this is so soft... like butter." She ran the fabric against her cheek, forgetting all about her unraveled dress. It simply dropped to the floor. "How very thoughtful of you, my love. Thank you."

She stepped out of the fluff of her dress and kissed Loki on her delicate cheek. 

"I'll change into this behind the dressing room door, so that I can then make a grand entry and dazzle you as you have dazzled me."

With a giggle, she made for the dressing room.

**“Oh - wait, Iona, don’t—”**

**Loki had been so lust-fueled by the sudden amorous advancements of her wife, she had almost forgotten about...**

**Iona shrieked and came running back from the dressing room, and Loki’s clone - apologizing profusely and carrying several pieces of clothing in his arms - stumbled out after her.**

**“Iona,” he said in a voice that begged for understanding. “It’s ok, it’s fine, I’m not—“**

**Loki caught Iona in her arms while Iona continued to watch the clone cautiously, eyes wide with fear.**

**“It’s ok, Iona,” Loki cooed softly, trying to calm her nerves. “He’s only been out for fifteen minutes, dear. He’s perfectly safe.”**

She shook her head repeatedly, eyeing the clone with mistrust and terror. 

"No... I can't do this, Loki! You don't know how he treated me! I don't want him anywhere near me!" She tried to pull away from her, but Loki held her fast. "Please, banish him from my sight!"

**“No, Iona. It’s alright, I promise you.”**

**Loki kept her arms around Iona’s waist and spoke softly into her ear. “I know ****_exactly _****how the previous clone treated you. And I remember what he did to me, but...this is NOT the same clone. What happened before...that was all my fault, not his. ** ** _He _****had nothing to do with it. In fact, he didn’t even exist at the time.”**

**The double watched her from where he was, a sad smile on his lips, complete innocence marking his perfectly copied features.**

“What is he doing here? Why are you playing with the very thing that burnt you?” Iona asked, her voice wavering, showing her acute distress. “You thought that you were in control that one time as well, but then he locked you up in that closet and raised his hand against me.”

**“I summoned him because...” she sighed, almost embarrassed to confess the reason. “I needed help with the laces in the back...”**

**Iona’s incredulous glare would have made Loki laugh if the mood had been different. Instead, she just tried to smile.**

**“But I can personally guarantee you that what happened before will ** ** _never _****happen again. And he’ll do anything you ask,” she promised hopefully. “Anything at all. He wants to make it up to you.”**

**Loki’s gaze turned soft as she begged Iona for forgiveness with her emerald green eyes.**

**“** ** _I _ ** **want to make it up to you.”**

Iona shivered as she looked back at the double again, still very apprehensive of him. The way he had tried to hurt her still weighed heavily on her mind.

"A-Are you sure? I was barely able to escape him the last time."

The double came forward slowly, and lowered himself on his knees right in front of her. He looked up at her, expression pleading and contrite. Quite honestly, he looked like a very sad puppy right then, and seeing that expression on her husband's face made Iona soft.

She couldn't help herself...

Slowly, her hand reached out and cupped his cheek. 

"I dearly hope you don't betray us again..." she whispered, more to herself than to him.

**“I’d rather die,” the clone said earnestly, taking her hand and lowering his head to touch his forehead to her fingers. “Iona, I regret what happened. I truly do. I will prove to you that you can trust me.”**

**Loki slid her palms along Iona’s hips and rested her head on her queen’s shoulder. “As will I,” she whispered softly.**

**The clone looked up once more, taking in Iona’s expression, eyes flicking to meet Loki’s on occasion. “Please. Allow me to show you how much I love you...”**

**He rubbed his thumb along the back of Iona’s hand, nervous, anxious and willing to do whatever she asked, even if it was to give her more time...**

**But Loki had wanted him to try to make amends, to make it right. And so he had tried, despite the clenching in his chest.**

Oh, Iona couldn’t resist this. The double’s pleading… and his _ earnest_, sad expression broke her...

At long last, she nodded, grasping the double's wrist and pulling him up. 

"So... what did you two have in mind? Are you going to be assisting me with the laces as well?" she asked with a tentative smile, just as Loki planted a kiss on her neck from behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Queen Loki is here again!


	44. Redemption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iona takes the reins as Loki and the double pay their penance for causing her distress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Test Sunday--ish. Ok, it slipped into Monday again. But at least it's here. heh...  
Enjoy ze smutz.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

**Loki and the clone began caressing Iona’s body, gently encouraging her to relax. Occasionally their hands would meet and they would slowly stroke each other’s fingers or glide them in unison across Iona’s exposed skin. As she stood naked between them, Loki held Iona’s arms and helped her keep her balance while she stepped into the lacy lingerie, and the clone pulled the delicate panties reverently up her calves and thighs.**

**The double kissed along Iona’s stomach as Loki dressed her in the top half of the ensemble, lacing the back with expert technique. Loki made certain to press her breasts up against her wife’s back especially firmly as she tightened the garment, even nibbling on Iona’s earlobe as her graceful but strong arms pulled the laces taut.**

Iona closed her eyes as Loki nibbled on her earlobe... and the clone licked and nipped her lower abdomen with his lips. The sensation was decadent, and she couldn't deny that she loved being the focus of their lustful attentions. 

Oh, she had missed this...

Her eyes fluttered open as both of them pulled away slightly and turned her to face the mirror. "Are we done?" she asked before her gaze landed upon her own reflection...

_ Oh! _

The garment reminded her of the one she had worn on Midgard, but it wasn't made of the same material. It was softer, and it adhered to her form more readily. Like it was painted on her.

"Oh Loki... where ever did you find the designs for this? This is so..." She was lost for words, shaking her head and smiling. "Thank you. I love it!"

**“You look ravishing, darling...” Loki said, slipping her arm around her waist and standing in front of the mirror with her. “The two most beautiful women in Asgard. We deserve each other, don’t you think?”**

**The clone nodded in agreement, standing back and taking them both in with the same head tilt that was so indicative of the original.**

**Loki ran her fingers over the lace, the texture across Iona’s perfect skin giving her goosebumps and shivers that spread along her arms like raindrops. She took a shuddering breath, closing her eyes to just indulge in this sensation she’d been craving for days.**

**“You are magnificent...”**

**Her hands moved up to Iona’s face, gently cupping her cheek, and their gaze locked just long enough for the patient eagerness Loki had maintained to finally relinquish. She closed her eyes and leaned forward, pressing her lips to Iona’s in a passionate, heart-pounding kiss. The small moan that escaped her queen’s throat only served to heighten her arousal, and she pulled Iona closer, the feel of her lingerie tipping Loki further into lusty abandon.**

Iona returned her wife’s kiss with enthusiasm, wrapping her arms around her neck and leaning into her. The press of her breasts against Loki's was simply delicious, and so she rubbed against her front repeatedly... like a cat in heat. 

"Mmmm, I'll wear these underclothes daily... I love them so much," she spoke against Loki's lips, just as the clone came up behind her and began to pepper little kisses on her shoulders. "I'll make sure to show you what I wore, before covering myself up in the prim and proper dresses of the Allmother. How does that sound?"

**Loki grinned and nuzzled Iona’s nose with her own. “So I can think of it all day, and look forward to seeing it again once we retire for the evening… that sounds splendid.”**

**Then a thought came to her...so fast it nearly stopped her in her tracks. She pulled back and looked Iona in the eye excitedly.**

**“Dear, I want you to try something...”**

**She opened her palm and seidr began to swirl and form into a long, slender shape - a riding crop. With a devious smile, Loki handed it to Iona, then turned her to face the clone, who had already freed himself from his leathers and was pumping his manhood slowly. Realizing what was happening, he swallowed nervously, dropped to his knees, and awaited her command.**

**“Anything you ask, Iona. He’s yours.”**

"Oh..." Iona stared at the crop in her hand, then looked at the double, who was now in a very submissive position. "But... I-I don't wish to hurt him."

She held the crop close to her chest, almost too afraid to brandish it in front of the clone.

**“Then don’t.”**

**Loki lifted Iona’s arm holding the crop, and made her softly slide the leather tongue along the clone’s jawline. He took a deep breath as he forced himself to relax, then moaned in a short, pleading sigh.**

Iona bit her lip and watched the clone as she took control of the riding crop from Loki. His lips were parted, and he looked oh so delectable like that...

She felt a shiver of lust run through her spine. 

Moving the crop down the clone's throat, she caressed his Adam's apple with its tongue.

When he began to squirm in response, she whacked the tongue against his collarbone, halting all of his movement immediately. "Don't move, or you'll be punished."

She lowered her eyes to see that her commanding tone and use of the crop had quite an effect on his manhood. It bobbed rather dramatically.

**The clone did his very best to stay completely still, feeling an almost-electric tingle emanating from anywhere she touched him with the crop...a tingle that travelled instantly between his legs and his engorged, still-growing cock. He swallowed hard, resisting the urge to tremble as his entire focus became immobility.**

**Loki watched Iona circle the double, her hands idly wandering up her own body, the texture of the lace and the softness of her skin causing wetness to begin to pool in her sex. Her eyes locked to Iona, waiting to see what she would do...and what she herself might be able to participate in.**

After circling him once, Iona came to stand very close to the clone. Her thigh brushed against his shoulder, and she could see how much effort he was putting to remain still. To follow her command. 

Norns, it felt good. She felt powerful. In control. She had nothing to worry about.

Slowly, she brushed the tongue of the crop down his abdomen. Down... down... down... till reached the very base of his straining arousal.

Her gaze flicked to Loki for just a second, and she found her wife running her hands all over her own body. The sight nearly made her lose her mind. 

She slid the crop down further, very lightly touching the clone’s hard flesh that was desperate for her attentions. 

"You know that you've been a very bad boy, don't you?" she asked him, her voice deep and husky with lust. "Do you want to repent?"

**“I do...please Iona. Forgive me...”**

**The clone did feel remorse, even knowing that it wasn’t ** ** _this _ ** **iteration that had harmed her. But just the idea that something like him had tried to kill her...had tried to trick her into believing he was the original...it broke his heart. And he was prepared to do whatever she asked to make things right.**

**He loved her...as much as a clone could, at least.**

**Meanwhile, Loki’s hands rose up and she began to fondle her own breasts, watching her powerful wife take the reins of control.**

** _Dominance suits her…_ **

**Her mouth began to water a bit at the view of Iona standing firmly over the exact copy of Loki’s male form. Just the strong stance paired with the lingerie made it difficult for Loki to keep her hands to herself. But keep them to herself she did, pinching her nipples into taut peaks and squeezing her thighs together as her arousal heightened at the sight.**

"Hmmm... plead some more, darling. I love the sound of an apology on your lips," Iona said, smacking his arousal with the crop... just hard enough to sting, but just gentle enough to not hurt him.

Even in a dominant mood, she just couldn't be cruel.

**"I'm sorry, my love. Please, anything you want, it's yours. My body, my heart, my soul...all of it."**

**Loki swallowed hard, hearing her own confessions in her own masculine voice...and somehow it served to arouse her further. She desperately wanted to touch and be touched, to take comfort from her lover and prove with words and actions that Iona's love and trust were not misplaced, despite the hard-headed errors in the past. A small whimper escaped her throat, and her fingers drifted between her legs, the slick fluids soaking through the delicate lace. She rubbed herself slowly and her channel clenched around nothing as the scene continued to unfold.**

Iona's gaze lifted upon hearing Loki's soft whimper. She was now pleasuring herself. The sight was sinfully erotic.

"Loki..." she spoke firmly, driving the crop up to the clone's chest as she did so. She smacked his nipples while maintaining eye contact with Loki. "Stop touching yourself, you  _ wanton whore _ . Come here and serve your queen."

** _Wanton whore..._ **

**Loki shivered at the now-ubiquitous moniker, her feet leading her forward almost without a second thought. It took some effort to stop touching herself, and her entire body seemed to protest at the absence of the sensation. But she found there was nothing she wanted more than to bend herself to Iona's whims. Loki kneeled next to the clone, who was now panting with desire and trying desperately to maintain his immobility. Iona continued to toy with his nipples using the crop....and just watching it made Loki bite her lip and clench her fists with need.**

**"What would you ask of me, my queen?" she whispered in a husky voice, forcing her gaze away from the clone's straining cock to look up at the golden eyes of her wife.**

"Take those clothes off," Iona commanded, smirking down at her. "And keep your hands behind your back afterwards."

While Loki followed her order, she grabbed the clone by his hair and pulled him towards her slightly as she bent down to whisper in his ear. "And you, my beautiful toy... lie down on your back. I need to test your servitude."

The clone shivered at her words, but obeyed her without a moment's delay.

Iona felt giddy with excitement...

Once the clone was on his back, she straddled him, facing away from him...and in the direction of a now-naked Loki.

Iona licked her lips in a decidedly teasing way as she looked into her eyes. Her hands reached down to pull her panties to the side, displaying to Loki her fully aroused and dripping sex.

And then she lowered herself onto the clone's erection, making him gasp. 

"Both of you, don't even think of moving..."

**The only response the clone could make was an almost mournful moan, dripping with desire and relief and submission. But he didn't move a muscle as she rode him, grasping at the floor with his eyes tightly shut, Adam's apple jumping with the effort.**

**And Loki watched, the lingerie now left in a pile on the floor next to her. Watched as an exact replica of ** ** _himself _ ** **was used by Iona to pleasure herself, her pert ass bouncing on his lap as her lips parted and she closed her eyes, grabbing her breasts and rocking her hips and moaning softly and...**

**Loki swallowed. Norns, this was too much - to sit to the side and only view what she wanted SO desperately for herself. She was trembling, despite her efforts to stop it, and her breathing became heavier as her need became near overwhelming.**

** _I want you, Iona. I want you, I want you, I want you..._ **

Iona stopped moving all of a sudden, keeping the double deep inside her as she leaned towards Loki. 

"My poor darling, feeling left out?" she asked sweetly, running the crop between Loki's legs. "Knees apart. Open wide for your queen."

**Loki instantly did as she was told, sliding her legs open into a wide kneeling stance that left her dripping sex exposed and visible beneath the dark curls. She wondered if Iona could see the wetness she felt, but she dared not look down to see for herself - she kept her eyes trained on her queen, awaiting her next order, willing to trust her with everything.**

Iona rubbed the tongue of the crop very deliberately against Loki's aroused flesh, targeting her clitoris. 

"Does this make you feel better, darling?" she asked, pinching her nipple with her other hand. All this while, she kept grinding herself on the clone's manhood, unable to help herself.

She felt so ravenous... but still in control of both of her lovers. It was like a heady drug.

**"A little..." Loki whimpered softly, staying completely still as she'd been commanded. Having the crop there was like being desperately thirsty and drinking just a few drops of water at a time - she couldn't get more purchase against it without moving, so it ended up being an almost deviously insidious tease. Loki licked her lips, eyes half-lidded, as Iona's smirk only served to make her feel more helpless and needy.**

**"Please..."**

**Loki's chest tightened as the word fell from her lips. It seemed she couldn't help but beg Iona when she was in her feminine form...**

**Even the clone registered the forbidden word, mumbling a quiet "oh, fuck". He knew better than anyone that Loki didn't beg. Iona was the only exception.**

Iona's smirk grew. 

"Hmmm..." She brought the crop up, spreading Loki's essence all over her midsection. "So desperate for my touch, aren't you?"

She pulled Loki closer then, and let go of the crop. Her fingers reached between her legs and immediately slid into her slick channel.

"Better?" she asked, pressing her thumb to Loki's clit, while her fingers stroked her just the way  _ he  _ stroked her. She had certainly learned from a master...

**Loki couldn't help the noise she made when Iona penetrated her.**

**It was a mix of desire and desperation, of need and fear...fear of being vulnerable and powerless and out of control. And yet, Loki still did not move. Her hooded gaze and peaked eyebrows were enough proof that she belonged to Iona, in this moment and forever more.**

**Now it was the clone's turn to be amazed as the original, his master, turned into putty at the simple touch of Iona's fingers. The most powerful sorcerer in the Nine Realms, the Allfather of Asgard, the Rightful King of Jotunheim, God of Mischief and Lies...utterly submissive before her.**

**The clone's hips began to move off their own accord as he imagined what the two of them must look like, pressing deeper into Iona's soft channel, cock straining against her tight walls as her essence dripped down his thighs. **

**Likewise, Loki's hips bucked unwittingly as the coil of pleasure tightened in her loins...**

Iona began to move up and down on the double's erection the moment his hips began to undulate. She knew that she had teased him enough... had teased  _ both _ of them enough... and now it was time to give them their rewards. 

"Kiss me, my love," she said, pressing her forehead to Loki's as her fingers moved faster inside her dripping channel. "I want to taste your completion on my lips."

**Loki's mouth was drawn to Iona's like a magnet, and she fisted her hands at her sides as the queen took her, moaning into her mouth so desperately that she was nearly embarrassed by the sound. But the only other sound in the room - the squelching of the clone's cock pressing in and sliding out of Iona's slick center - quickly made her forget propriety. She was quivering with passion, thrusting against Iona's hand and wanting so much to cum that it almost hurt.**

**Her breath hitched and held as Iona touched all the places she had shown her. Tears began to brim in her eyes as she neared her orgasm, and then...**

**Almost without warning, all the tension and latent energy exploded from her pussy and clit and she nearly fell over as she screamed into Iona’s kiss. **

Iona's own orgasm came to the fore as she felt Loki's channel clench around her fingers. It was wild, feeling her moans on her lips, and then giving her own moans to her through their kiss.

It was  _ delicious _ ...

And then the clone came inside her as well, heightening the experience even more. Iona was lost in bliss.

She held onto Loki as she collapsed in her arms, and the clone just about caught them both as they toppled over.

**Loki was ** ** _panting _ ** **as she came down from her peak, hardly realizing that the three of them were now on the floor in a pile of arms and legs and sweat and sex.**

**She and the clone surrounded Iona, wrapping themselves around her body, and Loki kissed her softly on the cheek, hands running over the lacy lingerie that Iona still wore.**

**"Happy anniversary, sweetling..." she said dreamily. "I hope you're no longer scared of my double...has he made things up to you?"**

Iona smiled and reached back to gently pet the clone's head. He purred in response and nuzzled into her neck, making her giggle.

"Indeed. He has been a very good boy. I love him." She kissed Loki again, her lips lingering on hers as she spoke again. "I love every part of you. Happy Anniversary, my love..."


	45. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Iona have a long-avoided discussion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bold Text = Loki  
Normal Text = Iona
> 
> Hello everyone! Got a few things we wanted to talk about with you all (and if you read "The Pursuit of a Simple Life," this will look familiar.)
> 
> So it’s been an extra week since the last update, and Latent and I feel awful about it. But, with everything going on in our personal lives and the rest of the world in general, we’ve been having a really hard time keeping up with posting these amazing chapters! We will continue to post as we can, but until we hit a bit more normalcy, we are going to need some flexibility in our posting schedule. This may include a bit of a hiatus, but know that you wonderful readers are in our thoughts and hearts all the time and we LOVE you all!
> 
> Also due to our limited bandwidth, we have not been able to reply to all comments. PLEASE KNOW we absolutely adore your feedback and encouragement! Even if we aren’t able to respond to every comment directly, we love seeing them and so, so, SO appreciate them, especially now!
> 
> Our readers are the best on the internet, as far as we’re concerned. We will be around, posting as often as we can...and we hope you understand. Thank you all so much! Stay safe out there.

**\---Several days later---**

**Loki moaned loudly as he took his pleasure from Iona’s sex, grunting and sweating and panting, his entire body alive and on fire.**

**The bed shook and creaked with his movement, his hips pushing against Iona feverishly as he held her legs up in a "V" over his shoulders. Sweat dripped down his forehead, his hair slick with moisture.**

**"Oh, NORNS Iona!" he grunted, feeling the vibrations stimulating him ** ** _through her_ ** ** from the golden device he’d attached to her nearly an hour ago. She looked so helpless and beautiful, tied to the headboard as she was, arms spread wide as her breasts bounced in time to his thrusting.**

**He was ** ** _so close._ ** **..he felt her starting to tense yet again...**

Iona was beyond screaming now. After three orgasms, she was still impaled on his hard flesh, the toys driving her further into a lustful haze. She felt like she'd go mad...

"Daddy, please, n-no more!" she pleaded, her thighs trembling in his hold. "I can't handle this anymore!"

She could already feel herself clenching around him helplessly, the toy in her rear making her feel all these peculiar and pleasurable sensations as she neared another orgasm.

**"One more, Iona," he growled as he picked up the pace. Was he getting out of shape? This seemed to be more strenuous than--**

**The orgasm snuck up on him - one moment he was working his way to it, the next, it was THERE. His legs seized up, and with the last bit of his willpower he pushed himself hard into her soft tissues, pressing his hand to the golden device and cranking up the intensity.**

**"Come. NOW!" he demanded, right as that coiling pleasure at the base of his spine released, sending him into a convulsive completion. He squeezed her close to him, feeling his cock pulse in her tight, slick, clenching, vibrating channel.**

Tears trickled down her eyes as she came again, her body surrendering to his command.

Low, guttural groans escaped her as he kept thrusting inside her, filling her with his seed.

She lay limp on the bed as he pulled out of her after a while, gently removing the toys as well.

Next came the untying of the leather straps that he so loved to trap her in. He smiled tenderly as he undid them, and she returned the smile. 

"Loki?" she murmured tentatively. "Umm... don't clean me up."

Ever since their anniversary celebration feast, she had been keen on trying this method - of meditation for conception. And she needed to communicate this to him directly.

**Her request surprised him. Usually she hated the messy, slimy, sticky feeling between her legs after they'd been intimate. He gave her a somewhat suspicious side-eye as he completed the task of untying her.**

**"Do you...** ** _like_ ** ** feeling dirty now? Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that, darling. Just let me know so I can work with it..." He grinned and sat down on the bed next to her.**

She squirmed and tried to slip a pillow beneath her lower back.

Loki watched her with ever-increasing curiosity, his brows rising in a silent question.

"Umm... I was told that this helps," she mumbled, looking away from him, "in conceiving. I need to keep your seed inside for as long as I can. And I need to concentrate my thoughts on… umm… getting with child."

**"Ah."**

**Loki pressed his lips together as she awkwardly tried to push the pillow beneath her.**

**It had taken longer than he'd expected, for her to finally express to him that she was concerned about their lack of impending heirs. He knew the moment would come but...somehow he just kept appreciating that it hadn't happened yet.**

**No. It was time. It was ** ** _past _ ** **time.**

**He squeezed his hands together, fingers fidgeting.**

**"That's not going to help..." he said quietly, avoiding her eyes.**

"Wha... What do you mean?" she asked, her voice small and very afraid of his answer.

She could see her worst fears manifesting... and she didn't think she was prepared for it.

"I... I checked with the healers… and even visited the Volvas of Askr! They say that I'm perfectly healthy and capable..."

**“You visited the Volvas of Askr?” he asked incredulously, his eyes narrowing. “When?”**

The truth of her off-realm excursion was finally out, and Loki was staring at her with a strange look in his eyes. She didn't find it comforting.

“When I visited Vanaheim. I didn't tell you, because I thought that something was wrong with  _ me,"  _ she answered impatiently, sitting up to glare at him. “There has been no break in our intimacy, and yet, my womb has remained empty. I tried to seek help to rectify this… this  _ situation _ , to beget an heir for our kingdom. But that’s immaterial now. I need to know why I cannot conceive. You seem to know  _ something  _ about it.”

**Norns, if he had thought ahead about this...this wasn't the way he wanted to tell her.**

**"It's not you," he confessed, a weight growing heavier on his heart. Suddenly ** ** _waiting until she brings it up_ ** ** seemed like the stupidest idea he'd had since trying to impress Odin for all those years.**

**"I...I’m the one preventing conception. With magic." He reached towards her to cup her cheek tenderly. “I’m sorry, I should’ve told you sooner.”**

She gasped and pulled away from him, her eyes brimming.

"What do you  _ mean _ ?"

The tears began to fall, her heart began to break… 

"What... you don't want children? How does that work for a king? For the  _ Allfather? _ Why? And why didn't you tell me?! I've been facing ridicule and gossip from the court this whole year!"

**"Iona, we can't have a child - it would reveal to everyone that I'm..."**

**He gestured to himself, then sighed heavily. The weight of his confession was ** ** _hurting_ ** ** him...a truth that he was ashamed to be facing.**

**"** ** _Blue.”_ **

**He closed his eyes. Leave it to Iona to pull the unbidden truth from his lips. He gazed at her pleadingly, eyebrows peaked with concern and hope for understanding.**

**“You worry about court gossip for a long-awaited pregnancy...can you imagine what would happen if the public learned about ** ** _what I am_ ** ** \- about what our child would be? We might as well just abandon him in a temple--"**

**He stopped as the hurtful words fell from his mouth, stunned that he had actually said them. **

She couldn't stop the tears still. Somehow, his outburst hurt her even more.

There was so much Loki had kept hidden about himself, it was hard to understand him sometimes. But she had to try... it was her divine duty to try, as his wife.

Wiping her eyes, she gazed back at him with a new clarity.

"Are you afraid to be a father? Do you think that the truth of your parentage will always remain hidden? You're the  _ Allfather  _ now, you can take control of your destiny, Loki, mold the public perception in your favour."

**"No, not yet.”**

**He looked at her pleadingly, eyebrows peaked. She was crying, and he was scared and vulnerable. It felt wrong - he was supposed to ** ** _prevent_ ** ** her from crying, to protect her. And his actions had caused it.**

**But it felt necessary. It felt right to tell her his feelings truthfully, and not think about the ramifications or the vulnerability. Not with her.**

**"It's been barely more than a year...I'm in a delicate position right now, Iona. My reputation as a leader is yet to be solidified. My kingship is questioned by just about everyone in the realms…”**

**He closed his eyes, unable to stop the tears falling like sparkling, unwitting diamonds in the dusk light. **

**“We don't live in a world of happy endings, Iona. We survive in a world that tries at every turn to hurt us. A world that...that would treat my child like it treated me."**

What he said made sense, but in a very cruel way. She still couldn’t accept it fully.

"So... can we ever have children?" she asked numbly, lowering her head, closing in on herself. "I... I'll try my best to keep the court gossip in check. But just... be honest with me, Loki. I've spent the last year doubting myself,  _ blaming  _ myself even.... I don't want to be in the dark. Do you want children at all?"

**"I...I don't know.”**

**His hands balled into fists, and he turned away from her, nails digging into his palms. "I don't know if this will ever be a world I want to bring a child into. I don't know if it will ever be a safe place for them. And I...I don't want them to suffer the kind of pain I've suffered. I can see it happening too easily."**

More tears slipped from her eyes, falling silently down her cheeks. She nodded, then slowly turned to leave the bed. It was too much to bear, too much to take in. 

She needed to be alone, to be away from him for a while.

**Loki closed his eyes again as she left, feeling a cracking pain through his chest, dull and persistent. It killed him...but he understood why she left. His life was, in a way, cursed. And she was now a part of that.**

**It wasn't fair. And there was nothing he could do about it.**

**With a sigh, he curled himself into the blankets, cold...and alone.**

—Three days later—

**Loki. Was. Furious.**

**He stormed down the hall to his chambers, cape billowing behind him, his glare fixed forward as his long legs carried him away.**

**After hearing Iona admit that the court gossip was upsetting her, Loki decided to spy on the next high tea before Iona arrived. He’d heard their conversation. **

** _She’s the first Allmother that isn’t a mother!_ **

** _Are they...partaking in the pleasures of marriage? Perhaps they’re feuding..._ **

** _He’s too stuck-up to fuck that poor excuse for a lady-in-waiting...she’s a ruse, meant to keep other realms from pushing alliances._ **

**The last one hurt the most...because parts of it were true. Those were always the words that pained him worst of all - the ones he ** ** _wished_ ** ** were lies.**

**He pushed through the door into the sitting area, only to see Iona sitting near the window...** ** _doing needlepoint_ ** **? Norns...this was worse than he thought.**

**“Hello, darling,” he said curtly, then he turned down the hall and headed quickly to his study.**

A perfunctory greeting. That's all Iona received today from him. 

He hadn't even waited for her response, just marched right into his study.

Well, it was apt, since she had been the one to avoid him for the last three days. She had sequestered herself to the queen's royal chambers and hadn't made it to the dining table for meals most of the time. 

It was a pointed rebuff to Loki, and he knew it well. 

Iona wasn't sure why she was doing this. She was hurt, yes, but she could see that Loki was hurt too. And he hadn't been wrong about his heritage being a point of contention in Asgard...

Perhaps she just felt... cheated? He hadn't told her any of this when he had married her. She wouldn't have hoped for a bigger family, then… perhaps, she would’ve been able to make peace with her lot.

The court gossip was still going strong, from what she had heard. She had done nothing to quell it. She felt too apathetic to try.

_ Let them think whatever they want to…  _

It didn't make a difference to her now, for she was indeed going to remain childless. Also, it was better that they blamed her than him. He had had enough of their criticism to last a lifetime.

She sighed and tried to concentrate on her needlework again. She had never been particularly good at it. It was just a hobby, after all. But she felt no investment in it now.

Nothing mattered anymore. Her sadness seemed to seep into everything that she did.

**Loki got to his study and shut the door behind him, sitting at his well-worn worktable. Pages and quills and ink and potions and books lay scattered about its surface, the usually tidy space cluttered with the sundry items of royal duties. He didn’t care.**

**He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration and stress. The words of those stuffy nobles shouldn’t bother him...they ** ** _shouldn’t_ ** **. Why did their shallow - and ** ** _wrong_ ** ** \- opinions matter?**

** _Because it would spread outside the palace. Because it could be a threat to our kingdom. To my safety. To her._ **

**Loki grabbed a cluster of metal links and absentmindedly began connecting and disconnecting them with his seidr, just something for his hands to do whilst his mind raced.**

**He couldn’t let Iona have his child. But all the other solutions seemed awful - let her be impregnated by someone else? Proclaim his seed was unfruitful? Admit he’s a Jotun to the Nine Realms?**

**He threw the links on the ground and glared at nothing. He glared at nothing with great vigor.**

**How could he solve this?**

As the time for lunch neared, Iona was informed by a servant that she was required to take her lunch with the king today, in their private dining room. These were the King's express orders.

She had secretly grumbled at that, even as she had graciously dismissed the servant.

Loki was such a cad...

Hence, as per her bossy husband's orders, she was present at lunch. And it was awfully awkward, since neither of them were willing to speak up about the elephant in the room. They were just dancing around each other.

Honestly, she couldn't even enjoy the food this way. So, she decided to make small talk.

_ Anything to quell this awful silence…  _

"How was the court today?" she asked, keeping her tone pleasant… trying to plaster a smile on her face.

**He almost yelled at her. ** ** _Nothing at court fucking matters. What do you want from me? What can I do to fix it?!_ **

**Instead, he just swallowed hard and responded quietly. “Fine.”**

**There was a too-long moment of silence before he sighed and tried to carry on the conversation.**

**“I, um...I see you started a new needlepoint piece...”**

She was surprised at his curt reply regarding the court. Usually, he had a lot to say about it. 

"Umm... yes. Started it," she replied stiffly, looking down at her plate. "I was done with the administrative reports, so I had nothing more to do."

Truth was that she always took up needlework when she was feeling anxious or distressed. Or perhaps just numb, like now.

Loki didn't need to know that. There was no point in bringing it up. He was not going to change his stance about having children, and she was tired of resisting it.

"Oh, I sent down an official request to you, about the demands from certain districts. You can have a look at them whenever you have time."

**“Thank you,” he said, stabbing another piece of food with his fork and bringing it to his lips.**

**This was ** ** _agonizing_ ** **.**

**He regretted insisting on this lunch together. What had he hoped to achieve? To finally talk out their issues and move forward?**

**At this point, he felt like there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in Muspelheim that he and Iona would see eye-to-eye about bearing an heir. For three days she’d been cold to him, and now...Norns. He didn’t know what else to do. He’d tried being honest, and now his position was more precarious than ever.**

**With a huff, he put his utensils down.**

**“Iona...let’s talk about this. I can’t stand it any longer.”**

She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"What do you want to discuss?" she asked, putting her cutlery down as well.

She then lowered her gaze to the table, not wanting him to see the pain in her eyes.

**“You ** ** _know_ ** ** what...” he growled. **

**He knew she didn’t want to, and neither did he. But this purgatory in limbo was infuriating.**

**“What do you want to happen? How do you see this playing out?”**

She shook her head, not liking his tone one bit.

"I'm sorry, Loki, but I... I need time. Maybe. You can't expect me to remain placid and happy with your decision. Especially when you've foisted it on me. I didn't even know... I kept imagining that something was amiss with me."

**“You’ve been avoiding me for ** ** _three days_ ** **,” he snapped, trying to catch her gaze. “I’m sorry you thought there was something wrong with you...I should have been more forthcoming with you. It is difficult for me.”**

**He felt himself shaking, the anger and fear and desperation finally starting to hit him, after long days of keeping it together.**

She finally looked up at him, stupid tears forming in her eyes again.

"I'm sorry I avoided you. But....am I not allowed to mourn? What do you want me to do? I'm trying to perform all my duties as a queen, as your wife. I... I feel mentally worn out after your revelation."

**“Iona, I—”**

**Suddenly, the door to their private chambers burst open, and General Torsen came forward urgently, flanked by the Einherjar. They all stopped next to him and brought an arm across their chests in salute.**

**“Your majesty, my apologies for interrupting your meal, but it requires your immediate attention. There is word from Muspelheim… peace is threatened.”**

**With a sigh, Loki gave one apologetic, desperate and sad look to Iona before the controlled expression of the Allfather took over his features.**

**“Let’s go,” he said, standing. “Tell me what’s happening.”**

**He and the other men left the dining area in a flurry of leather and capes.**

Iona silently rose from the dining table, heading back to her sitting room to await word from Loki. She didn't know how serious this matter with Muspelheim was, but she was worried nonetheless.

She waited and waited and waited... and soon realized that it was evening. 

Perhaps she needed to investigate this on her own...

Just as she stepped out of the royal chambers, she saw a contingent of the Einherjar marching off towards the palace entrance.

Quickly heading downstairs, she went straight to the conference hall, where Loki held all his meetings with his advisors and generals.

**“We should go IMMEDIATELY!” Loki yelled at Torsen as he started to storm toward the bifrost. “The longer we wait, the more time Surtr has to—“**

**Loki saw Iona standing in the doorway, and he felt his heart jump to his throat. She looked so scared and confused...**

**No time for sentiment. War was on the horizon.**

**“Get the troops ready,” he said sharply, staring his general in the eye. “I’ll meet you at the bifrost in ten minutes.”**

**General Torsen saluted him again, and as the contingent of soldiers strode off, he approached Iona, taking her shoulders gently.**

**“Iona, I must go to Muspelheim right away. There is unrest.”**

She steeled herself and nodded, taking on her role of the queen and the Allmother.

"I bless you with safe returns," she said, grasping his hands and squeezing them. "I'll wait for you. And I promise to keep Asgard running smoothly in your absence."

Finally, she embraced him tightly. She worried for his safety, and it was evident in the way her arms held him.

"I love you, Loki, despite our differences. Come back to me as soon as you can..."

**“I love you too, Iona.”**

**With one last steely gaze, he turned and headed off to quell the Muspelheim threat.**

**Little did he know that he would not see her on Asgard the next time they met.**


	46. Abduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iona gets kidnapped while Loki is off world. He takes it badly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bold Text = Loki / Fanndis  
Normal Text = Iona / Helblindi

Iona felt cold. So cold...

Her eyes were covered with a thick, dark blindfold, and her hands and feet were tied up as well. What more, she was fully covered in a blanket as well, the same blanket that had been thrown over her head to pull her from her horse.

She was being hauled through some kind of cave, she could tell, from the way the voices were echoing.

Thankfully, they hadn't gagged her. That gave her the chance to try and put some fear in her captors' heart.

"I'm not sure what you're trying to do here, but abducting the  _ Allmother _ is an act of treason, an extreme crime. It's written in the first legal codex of Asgard!"

The man carrying her faltered, but the other one sighed. 

Iona wanted to say more, but Norns, she was afraid of getting hurt.

"We know," the one carrying her said, "it should tell you how desperate we are."

That was a strange retort. 

Still, it wasn't enough to assuage her. 

"I've asked you several times since you snatched me from my morning ride to unhand me at once. You'll be severely punished!"

They ignored her yet again and carried on. Soon, she was jostled and dumped on a seat. Then, someone strapped her to it. It was slightly warmer here, which meant that she was in a room.

It was then that her blindfold was removed, giving her the opportunity to see her surroundings and her captors for the first time.

She was in a small cabin, a bit like the covered skiffs of Asgard. But she couldn't concentrate on that; her attention was riveted on her captors.

They were Jotuns.

Iona gasped in fright, her heart stuttering in her chest.

"Our apologies, Allmother," one of them said, giving her a sharp toothed grin. "But it had to be done. Welcome to Jotunheim."

~~~~~

**“Well, Surtr, I’m glad we can finally see eye-to-eye on this matter.”**

**Loki pushed the paper forward heartlessly, and the Einherjar held the fire demon in place...as well as his entire army. The heat-proof armor Loki had distributed to them prior to their visit made them practically invincible to the flames around them.**

**Loki didn’t need it, but he found it helped him focus. Norns, did he ** ** _hate_ ** ** this realm...the heat made him utterly miserable. And irritable.**

**“Sign the treaty, get your citizens back to work, and let’s continue to have a mutually beneficial relationship, hm?”**

**He could not WAIT to get off of this Norns damned planet and back to—**

**“Your majesty!” a voice called from the entrance of Surtr’s ** ** _throne room_ ** **, such as it was. “Urgent news from Asgard!”**

**Loki looked at the soldiers holding Surtr at his whim.**

**“Make sure he signs every page. And any time he refuses...cut off a finger.” He gave the disgusted and terrified Ruler of Muspelheim a smug sneer and walked off to see the page.**

**“What is it?” he asked, relieved that his time on this planet was coming to an end.**

**“Sire, Queen Iona...” the page heaved deep breaths. “She’s been abducted!”**

~~~~~

It was not a skiff, it was a sledge. 

Iona was apparently being taken to Utgard, the capital of Jotunheim. Her terrifying captors had been kind enough to inform her that she had been taken hostage so that the Jotuns could use her as a bargaining chip. 

Her life in exchange for the  _ Casket of Ancient Winters _ .

She was utterly terrified. The Jotuns were known to abhor Asgardians. After all, the war of Midgard had fostered animosity between both the realms.

How would she be treated in Jotunheim? Would they put her in the dungeons? Would they hurt her?

Such questions kept swirling in her mind, giving her a headache.

The cold didn't help either. She was shivering now, despite the thick blanket covering her. 

She closed her eyes and tried to think of pleasant things... of Loki. Oh Norns, how she wished that she had said more to him, expressed herself more freely the last time they had been together. She should've straightened out their differences.

Who knew if she'd get another chance. Who knew if she'd even get to see him again.

~~~~~

**All they knew was that she had been taken during her morning ride, which she was in the habit of taking alone. When she didn’t return on time, they went searching for her; what they found was a message attached to her horse, to King Loki from King Helblindi of Jotunheim, demanding the Casket of Ancient Winters in exchange for her safe return.**

**And the worst part was, Loki knew how they did it - they took the path he had shown them years ago, the path he was ** ** _sure_ ** ** they would not be able to find again. Hubris - he’d underestimated them...and now Iona was in danger because of it.**

**Loki stalked back to the bifrost, faster than most of the soldiers could walk. They hustled behind him as he prepared for the journey to Jotunheim...to bargain for his wife’s life.**

**He had no idea what would happen to him when he landed on that planet. He was starting his rutting season - ** ** _why did it have to be now?!_ ** ** \- and he planned to use his illusion magic to keep himself Aesir in appearance, at least. It was fraught with risk, but he had no choice.**

**He had to get Iona back.**

~~~~~

When the sledge came to a stop, Iona was escorted out of it and taken to the palace. Her captors handled her gently, much to her relief.

She was presented to the court of Jotunheim then, the surrounding Frost Giants easily dwarfing her by feet and making her feel deeply insecure.

The Jotun king, Helblindi, rose from his throne and came down to where she stood.

She took a few steps back as he approached.

"Allmother, you know why you're here," he said, his face grim. "We wouldn't make a spectacle out of you by hurting you. That was the practice of Odin. While you're here, you'll be treated well."

"As well as a  _ captive _ can be treated?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "You could've simply discussed this matter with the Allfather. He'd have given a kind ear to your concerns. But now? Now, I'm afraid you'll have to face his wrath."

Helblindi’s expression darkened. “My apologies, your majesty, but he has been ignoring my missives-- _ personally written _ missives, mind you--for over a year. I’m afraid we truly had no other choice. The fate of my citizens depends on it.”

~~~~~

**The bifrost landed them outside Helbindi’s castle, and as soon as Loki stepped foot on the frozen ground, he felt the itching on his skin, his eyes burning. It hit him so suddenly that he missed his footing and stumbled, and he quickly activated an illusion to appear as though nothing had happened. But the entire walk to the throne room, he felt himself changing - the horns growing from his skull, his skin erupting with caste markings and turning sinister blue like the landscape around him.**

**He felt ** ** _everything_ ** **, forcing each foot in front of the other as they continued forward.**

** _They took...my MATE…_ **

**The phrase growled in his head, over and over, as his Jotun instincts began to manifest...and Loki let the rage fuel him, let it make him predatory and ruthless.**

** _Iona...my mate...my love...mine. My. Mate._ **

** _MINE!_ **

**SLAM!**

**He kicked the door to the throne room open, a battalion of soldiers behind him. Wielding Gungnir like an extension of himself, his armor shined in the dull light of the castle, horns upon his helm striking upward as he lifted his gaze and it landed on Helblindi...and Iona.**

**His vision went red as he narrowed his eyes, barely keeping himself from attacking the Jotun who had taken his cherished queen.**

**“Helblindi. You’ve made a serious mistake.”**

Iona heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing Loki. He was here... everything would be fine now.

However, before she could even take a step in his direction, she was grabbed by the Jotun guards. Two very sharp spears were placed at her neck, their tips digging into her skin.

Loki moved towards her, but the guards pulled her back, pressing the spears further into her throat. She was afraid that they'd be drawing blood soon, and she stared pleadingly at her visibly furious husband.

"You won't try your usual tricks now, will you?" Helblindi asked, waving towards Iona as she stood stiffly between the guards. "Her life depends on your peaceful handover of the Casket."

Loki breathed heavily as he glared at Helblindi. Iona feared that he was simply going to blast everyone to smithereens. He looked THAT angry.

**Loki’s molars almost ground to powder as he forced every muscle in his body to remain still and NOT rip the head off of that simpering ass who ruled over Jotunheim. The realm that HE rightfully should have ruled.**

**Then he saw the fear in Iona’s eyes as the weapons threatened her, and the rage...stopped. A strange and sudden calm overcame him - no less threatening or deadly...perhaps even moreso. His blood turned to ice as a relaxed, charming smile spreading across his lips.**

**“No tricks, Helblindi,” Loki said, putting his hands up casually, as if to imply friendly surrender. “In fact...well played. Almost as good as something I might have done...though your execution was a bit sloppy.”**

**He instantly regretted the use of the word ‘execution,’ but the deep growl that manifested from his transformation left him less eloquent than usual. He felt like he was trying to play himself, disguised as himself, while the monster he truly was remained caged.**

**“I’m here to negotiate. Now please, lower those blades from my wife’s neck. This is between you and I, is it not? Hasn’t she suffered enough at your hand?”**

**And with that, he pulled the Casket of Ancient Winters from its pocket dimension and held it...grateful that his seidr was still masking his true form.**

Iona frowned as she observed her husband. His voice... was different. Deeper, with a suppressed growl.

With a sudden clarity, she realized that it was his Jotun voice. 

Her frown deepened. How was he still in his Asgardian form, when his voice had turned Jotun? 

However, she wasn't given time to dwell on that, as the Jotun king nodded to his guards and ordered them to take her away.

The spears were removed from her neck and she was dragged away from the throne room.

"L-Loki!" she called out, unable to help herself as she was being taken away. She didn't want to be separated from him again.

But the guards didn't halt, they trudged along an enormous corridor, nearly lifting her off her feet as they moved swiftly.

**Her call pierced his heart - he even had to close his eyes for a moment to maintain his composure. He glared at Helblindi, then sent the Casket back to his safe space.**

**The whole time, despite the swirling and near-overwhelming anger, the urge to violently repay every Jotun in that room for what they had done...above it all, he feared what might happen to his wife…**

Iona was taken to a strange, dome shaped chamber, made out of both stone and ice. It was fully furnished, with rugs covering the floors and furs on a humongous bed.

There was also a hearth, already lit with a robust fire. A chest of drawers and a polished haematite mirror completed the ensemble. 

While she was busy observing her surroundings, she heard the carved stone door closing behind her, the latch being put in place. 

She turned around and grasped the honeycomb mesh carved within the door, trying to peek outside. It was dark, and she couldn't see much, only the retreating forms of the guards. 

She could also see the heavy lock that was installed on the door. There was no way she could even attempt to unlock it.

Sighing in defeat, she stepped away from the door and grabbed a furry blanket. It was cold, and she wished to keep herself warm. Thankfully, the blanket smelled clean and fresh.

Just as she tried to settle in front of the fire, she heard shuffling at the door. Someone was outside…

**“Thank you, Naglfari,” a small, proper voice said from the hall, and the lock unlatched from the door.**

**A young Jotun girl in that awkward age between childhood and womanhood stepped through the threshold, carrying a tray of food and drink. Her hair and clothing were done up in a fashion indicative of royalty.**

**As soon as she laid eyes on Iona, they went wide, and a barely-contained jubilant smile spread across her face, lighting up her azure cheeks with a lively glow.**

**“Oh my...help me Ymir...QUEEN Iona!!!” Her voice was tight, like a squeak so excited she couldn’t contain how high the pitch was.**

**She walked over and set the tray on a side table, then walked up to Iona and nervously fidgeted, wringing her hands together. Then she bent into a practiced curtsy.**

**“Ummm… greetings. I’m Fanndis.”**

**She let out a giggle as she tried to stay still, but she was SO excited to meet the actual new Allmother!!!**

Iona watched the girl apprehensively, quite taken aback by her sprightly enthusiasm. She didn't know what to make of her.

"Greetings to you too, Fanndis," she spoke quietly, tilting her head to one side as she regarded the girl curiously. 

She wasn't an adult, that much was clear. Although Fanndis was the same height as herself.

Why would anyone allow a child in her glorified cell? 

Then, she noticed the tray of food and drink in her hands.

Norns, were the Jotuns employing children as servants? That was most unsavoury. 

"Umm..." Iona hesitated as the girl drew closer, looking her over as if she was the most fascinating creature in the whole universe. "May I ask what your station is? Are you allowed in here? I-I don't want you to get into trouble."

**“Trouble? Oh no, I ** ** _asked _ ** **to see you. You’re...you’re QUEEN IONA! Why wouldn’t I want to...” Gulping, she gathered herself, then gave Iona another perfectly executed royal curtsy.**

**“I am Princess Fanndis Laufeydottir, sister of King Helblindi.”**

Oh Norns...she was the princess. Laufey's daughter, which meant...  _ Loki's sister. _

She couldn't help but compare her features to Loki's. She hadn't had the opportunity to do the same with Helblindi--she had been too afraid for her life.

Fanndis indeed had the same sharp, angular features that Loki had, though hers were softer in a manner, her eyes smaller, nose a bit broader, and lips fuller. 

Perhaps she was closer to Loki's feminine form...

Iona shook her head, clearing her head of the image of Loki as a woman. Now wasn't the time to think about  _ that _ .

"You seem to be very thrilled to meet me, I suppose you've heard some good things about me? I'm pleased to make your acquaintance as well," she stated with a slight smile. "I wish we had met under more pleasant circumstances, princess... with your brother perhaps being a little less hostile towards me."

**Fanndis gave a polite nod, with a somewhat guilty peak in her brow. “I know. I told him it was a bad idea, but...well, it’s not for me to say anything. No one listens to the little sister of the king...”**

**She sat next to Iona, the bright smile returning. “But now that you’re here, I have so many questions! How did you and King Loki fall in love? Where did you meet? How was your wedding - oh it must have been magical! He’s so handsome and intelligent and witty and skilled and...”**

**Fanndis stopped rambling as soon as she realized she was doing it, pressing her lips together in embarrassment.**

**“Oh, Ymir’s beard, I’m sorry. I’ve just...I've been following the news of you and King Loki since the announcement of your engagement. It’s all my ladies-in-waiting and I speak of! It’s just so...so...** ** _romantic!_ ** **”**

**She brought her hands to her chest and sighed dreamily.**

Iona wasn't sure how to handle this much enthusiasm. Fanndis was indeed a child, so very guileless and full of excitement. 

Oh well... now, how to answer all of her questions? 

How did she and Loki end up getting married? Oh dear... that wasn't a tale for a child's ears.

"Well, the king and I have known each other since our childhood. I oft visited the royal palace with my parents, or stayed in with relatives. And when I was in my late adolescence, I became a lady-in-waiting for Queen Frigga.” Iona pursed her lips as she tried to avoid the not-so-savoury details of her and Loki's association and marriage.

The girl was hanging onto her every word.

"As we grew older, I suppose, the king and I slowly grew more and more attracted to each other..."

Well, that should do. She tried her best to look thoroughly romanced, for the girl seemed to find it dreamy. Well, if impressing her meant some sort of positive Jotun interaction for her, then so be it.

"Indeed, our wedding was a splendid affair. The king likes to make grand gestures in everything he does, even in love. He has a very kind heart."

**“Oh I knew it! Brigida said that he was cruel and mean...she said he forced you to marry him! But I knew you two were in love!!! I saw it in all the images that were circulated here - the engagement, the wedding, the honeymoon. Oh he’s such a dream!”**

**She squealed and kicked her feet a little bit, clutching her chest again. “Oh, Allmother...you are the luckiest woman in the Nine Realms!”**

Her excitement was kind of infectious. 

However, Iona nearly coughed as the girl chattered about how Loki forced her to marry him. That wasn't very removed from the truth, now, was it?

"Oh? You received images of the wedding and other ceremonies here? I wasn't aware of that," Iona said, feeling extremely self-conscious. 

So, it seemed like Loki had been secretly fueling propaganda for himself, sending news and images from Asgard to the Nine Realms and presenting himself in a more positive light. The new Allfather was to be known as a benevolent and kind man... and who better to showcase it with than his own wife?

_ Not a bad move. _ Iona quite approved of it. It showed how cunning Loki was...

"So, Fanndis, I was wondering," she spoke sweetly to the girl, reaching for her hand. "...If you could, mayhap, get me some news about the negotiations happening between the kings? I'm most worried about them... I don't want a war to start between our kingdoms again. It would also be beneficial if you let it slip to the Allfather that I'm doing well."

**Fanndis’ eyes went wide at her request, her mouth turning down into a small frown.**

**“I...um...I’m not allowed to go in there when official business is being discussed. Helblindi says I’m too young, that I’m a distraction. If he saw me...” Her eyes glazed a bit at the thought of what punishments could befall her. “I’m sorry, Allmother. I know that the Allfather is worried for you, but you can tell him what a great time we had together once you’re reunited! And you can tell me more about life in the Asgardian Palace! Is it true that Prince Thor is actually a Fire Giant in disguise? And that he was banished to Midgard because there could never be a Fire Giant on the throne of Asgard?! I told Brigida that couldn’t be true - he was going to be king but he fell in love with a Vanir scientist and ran off to be with her. And only an Aesir can be Allfather...or Allmother...”**

**Fanndis looked at her blue skin, contrasted so drastically against Iona’s, and she sighed. “I always wondered what it would be like to be Aesir. To be beautiful and small and perfect...not like this. Huge and gangly and...discolored.”**

Iona's eyes widened at all the gossip the girl was relaying to her. Some of it was especially strange. Also, she didn't like the implication that there was something inherently wrong with Jotun skin. 

"Fanndis, dear heart," she urged, grasping the girl's hand tighter. "There's nothing wrong with your skin. Azure is a beautiful colour--the colour of sky on sunny days, of deep oceans. It's one of my favourite colours, to be honest."

The girl didn't seem to be all that convinced. 

"And being big is part of being Jotun. Why do you find it all wrong? You are beautiful, and you'll grow up to be even more so, I believe."

Iona couldn't believe she was saying all this, for Asgard had always demonized Jotuns. But she felt it in her bones that what she said was the truth; she believed it. After Loki... her views on Jotuns had been drastically transformed.

**Hearing the Allmother speak to her like that - tell her that she was beautiful, tell her that there was nothing wrong with her - Fanndis felt tears welling in her crimson eyes. Her idol, ** ** _Queen Iona_ ** **, said she was beautiful!!!**

**“Thank you...” she said, her voice quaking. Queen Iona was the best person in the world. In history! And Fanndis’ heart pounded hard in her chest.**

**“Umm...” she faltered, quickly wiping away her tears. “You should try those raudrberries. It’s said that those are King Loki’s favorites.”**

Iona nodded, reaching for the tray to bring it to the bed.

"They are indeed his favorites," she said with a wink, popping a raudrberry in her mouth. "I used to smuggle these to him, when he had been... unjustly imprisoned by King Odin."

**For the next few hours, Fanndis hung onto every word Queen Iona spoke. It was amazing to hear first-hand all about the royal life on Asgard and King Loki’s likes and dislikes, habits, and quirks. She was in Valhalla! She never imagined that she’d be able to speak with the Allmother like this - so candid and casual. Brigida was going to have a ** ** _fit!_ **

**“So, Queen Iona...” said Fanndis, finishing off the last of the flavorful crackers she had brought on the tray and licking the crumbs from her fingers. “They’ve...well, they’ve been talking for a while now...and—" if Jotuns could blush, she would have. “I can probably sneak over there and hear how it’s going, if you’d like some news.”**

"Really?" Iona was so thrilled. Finally, she'd get to know what was happening.

As a queen she should've been next to Loki for the negotiations, but Helblindi was being an oaf, keeping her captive.

"Oh, Fanndis, if you can do this for me, I'll be in your debt for ages to come!"

**That was it. She HAD to do it now!**

**“Ok...ok. Ok! Here we go. Oh, Queen Iona, you’re nothing like what they said you were in court!”**

**Standing and walking to the door, she knocked softly. “Naglfari? Please open the door. The queen has requested tea.”**

**She turned to Iona, giddy and mischievous, and winked as the latch unlocked and the door opened.**

**“See you soon!”**

**As she and the guard walked away, she very subtly prevented the latch from closing completely, leaving the room unlocked...and unguarded.**

Iona crept out of the room slowly, her heart in her mouth.

She had been able to push open the door and get out. Now, as she hid in an alcove, she waited for the girl to return and take her to the negotiations.

**Several minutes later, Fanndis peeked around the corner of the alcove, smiling.**

**“Ok, let’s go,” she whispered. “There are secret pathways all over the place - just stay close to me.”**

**Fanndis pushed on the wall behind Iona, and it opened to a claustrophobically small passageway, too small for a full-grown Jotun to use.**

**But just barely large enough for the two of them.**

**“Come on,” Fanndis said as she crawled into the passage, carrying a small lantern to light their way in the dark tunnel.**

Iona walked behind Fanndis, scared and highly alert. The passage was very narrow, and they could barely move forward properly without shuffling.

"Who even uses these passages? Jotuns are far too big for these," she muttered under her breath, shivering as the dark passage seemed to radiate cold.

The girl giggled and carried on...

Soon, Iona began to hear muffled voices. Despite the lack of clarity, she recognised one of them. It was Loki...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We hope you’ve enjoyed this latest installment of The Excellent Adventures of Loki and Iona. :)


	47. Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things come to a head on Jotunheim, as Loki struggles to maintain his composure...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello fabulous readers! Buckle up, because we are in the LAST FEW CHAPTERS of the story! It's all coming together. Enjoy. :)

**Bold Text** = Loki's POV

Normal Text = Iona's POV

* * *

**Loki leaned over his elbow on the armrest, sitting at the long table with his Einherjar guards flanking him still. The hours-long negotiation was going nowhere, and his patience was wearing precariously thin; between Iona’s worries about an heir, quelling the uprising on Muspelheim, keeping his transformation hidden, ** ** _and_ ** ** dealing with the emotional and psychological urges of being in heat on Jotunheim...he was nearly at his breaking point, and he knew it. AND he was getting hungry. He’d not been offered even a single Norns-forsaken raudrberry since he'd arrived, and he hadn’t eaten since...he couldn’t remember when. **

**“For the LAST time, Helblindi...Asgard will provide you with the resources you need to care for your people. The Casket of Ancient Winters is not necessary for you to provide for them, and it is far too dangerous to return. We will solve this problem another way...but abducting the Allmother to initiate this discussion was unconscionable! How many times must I explain to you that I will not negotiate the Casket under these conditions...”**

Helblindi looked over at the Aesir king with a stony expression, his hands clasped together as he sat back in his chair. 

"And how many times must I explain to  _ you  _ that our requirement for the Casket is not for food or resources?" he asked, raising his hand to call a servant over.

As the servant came to him, he whispered in his ear and sent him on his way.

"As I was saying... the Casket is not actually a weapon to us first and foremost, though my late father's use of it suggested that it was. I cannot change his actions, but I can hope for some sort of understanding from you. Dead fathers with their less than pious actions seems to be a theme between us, after all."

He gave Loki a knowing smirk, looking over to his side as the servant brought in a tray full of raudrberries and an assortment of cut meats. The servant also brought them a bottle of wine; an aged snaerepli.

**Loki’s eyes widened imperceptibly as the food was placed on the table...but he knew what it was. Another tactic, another way to stress his willpower. He remained steadfast...at the very least until Helblindi had the good manners to halt these discussions so they could eat without trying to negotiate at the same time.**

**“I cannot risk the safety of the Nine Realms over sentiment, Helblindi. Our people’s histories are fraught with conflict - not just our father…s.” He caught himself, eying the cut meats before locking his gaze on Helblindi’s crimson stare once again. “And our fathers’ fathers. What more must I understand? You cannot keep it simply for trust. And I cannot risk another war between our realms.”**

"I will readily sign peace treaties to that effect," Helblindi suggested, casually popping a raudrberry in his mouth. "You see, as I stated earlier, the Casket isn't merely a weapon to us, or a holy relic. It serves us a purpose here.

"Before Laufey’s misuse of it, the Jotuns used the Casket to stabilize and build the realm's infrastructure with ice. As you can see all around you, we use a combination of ice and rock to build things here, and the Casket helped us immensely in accomplishing that. But ever since it was taken away, our buildings and roads have fallen into disrepair, and our infrastructure has weakened. Our cities are crumbling. We cannot bear to have our existence be slowly erased."

He waved at the platter, wishing that Loki would partake in the food. He had begun to look angrier in the last hour. Perhaps an offering of eatables would placate him.

**“Oh yes, you would certainly be able to fix your infrastructure with the spoils of conquered realms. I’m sure Midgard looks especially appealing these days...” Loki snarled, still rejecting the food.**

** _Not until we have an agreement_ ** **, he chastised himself, though his thoughts were starting to swim in his head. He wouldn’t be able to keep this up much longer...**

**“And furthermore, ** ** _you abducted my wife!_ ** ** That is the ** ** _stupidest _ ** **thing you could have done, if your goal was to appeal to my empathy for your plight.”**

"I'd say she's more like an ‘honoured guest’," Helblindi stated with a grin. "No harm has come to her. We thought it apt to have the new Allmother visit the realm. The last two never did."

When he saw that Loki was about to lose his cool, he raised his hands in the air.

"You can't blame me for trying to move things along a bit. Returning the Casket is the least that you can do for us, oh great Allfather. The realm is done for otherwise. Do you really hate us so much that you would want to see us all die a slow death from isolation and instability?"

Just as he concluded his little speech, he heard the sound of shuffling, coming from a nearby wall. He immediately knew who it was. 

**Loki’s ears perked up at the noise, and he reacted before he could stop himself - pushing his chair back to stand up immediately. Norns, something was going to give…**

Helblindi looked over at Loki, who seemed to have been distracted by the noise as well. Strange, for only the Jotuns' keen hearing senses could detect such a low sound.

"Excuse me for a moment, Allfather. I sometimes have to deal with unruly siblings. I’m sure you understand," he explained as he rose from his seat and walked over to the wall. 

Pushing the secret opening, he caught hold of his sister, who had been lurking behind the wall. 

"How many times have I told you not to eavesdrop on the royal meetings!?" he yelled at her, grabbing her by her arm and glaring at her angrily. "I feel like you need a THOROUGH punishment for it!"

**Loki saw the young Jotun female Helblindi had grabbed from the secret passage, and his heart jumped to his throat, especially after he recognized her caste markings - the royal circlet upon her forehead, same as Helblindi’s.**

**Same as his.**

**The look of fear on the girl’s face was truly telling. Was he going to punish her right here, in the ** ** _throne room_ ** **, in front of the Allfather and a contingent of Einherjar?!**

**Apparently, Helblindi’s unhinged cruelty was just as legendary as his father's… ** ** _their_ ** ** father's.**

**Loki was about to persuade himself that the girl had only herself to blame for being caught...when Iona’s voice came through the secret opening. **

**“Wait, no!”**

**He couldn’t breathe. Norns, Iona! Of all the irresponsible, ill-timed, reckless decisions she could have made...** ** _now, HERE_ ** **, in all places...**

**His illusion almost flickered. He started to see red again...**

Iona jumped in to put herself between Helblindi and Fanndis, feeling extremely protective of the girl. She grabbed his forearm and pushed it away with all of her strength, disengaging his hold on Fanndis.

He didn't stumble back, but he did step away from her, his crimson eyes wide with shock.

"You will not harm her!" Iona snarled at him, adrenaline pumping in her veins, giving her the courage to yell and throw a punch at a full-grown Jotun male. 

Helblindi easily grasped both of her hands before she could connect her fist with his abdomen. 

"You  _ dare  _ to lay a hand on me, woman?!" he growled, his voice echoing in the enormous hall.

Suddenly, chaos spread into the room as the Jotun king's guards poured in, galvanizing the Einherjar into countering their attack. They all swooped in on her and Helblindi, with Fanndis still caught in the middle with them.

In all the pandemonium, Iona didn't consider the reaction of her husband...

**It was all in slow motion.**

**One moment, Loki was watching Iona throw herself at Helblindi to protect the girl, the next, every soldier in the room - Jotun ** ** _and _ ** **Asgardian - was trying to murder anyone who wasn’t of their realm...**

**He caught one final look at Iona - terrified and in danger - before she was swallowed by the rush of bodies.**

**With unnatural speed, he leapt over the table, ran at Helblindi, grabbed his arms and pulled him away from his wife, standing between him and the two women who had caused all this uproar. He spun around and stared daggers at the Frost Giant who ruled Jotunheim. **

**Stared ** ** _down _ ** **at him...**

**Loki stood to full height, larger than he had ever been before. He towered over all the surrounding Jotuns, his blue skin glowing in the frigid light of the throne room, crimson eyes burning with fury. He’d encased Helblindi’s arms in ice as he held him back, protecting his mate. His own, natural horns tipped the iconic golden helm from his head, and it fell to the ground with a clatter. His clothes ripped at the seams to accommodate his enlarged frame, and his armour all but fell apart.**

**Loki was nearly unrecognizable, fangs bared as he snarled and used his seidr to throw everyone but Fanndis, Iona, and Helblindi away from him. Men fell and scattered on the icy floor.**

**“** ** _ENOUGH!_ ** **” he shouted, his deep and powerful voice shaking the frozen windows and walls. He stood in the center of the shocked gathering of soldiers and courtiers, taking deep breaths that clouded from his mouth and nose, glaring at Helblindi furiously.**

**For a moment, he was silent, eyes locked on his brother and a murderous growl rumbling from his core. Helblindi looked as though he were about to weep, flinching at the threatening sound.**

**Finally, Loki spoke again, much more softly than would be expected from the powerful being that had single-handedly ended the conflict in a matter of seconds.**

**“Iona… are you hurt?”**

Iona stared at him in sheer astonishment...

_ Oh Norns… Oh sweet Valhalla… what was happening? _

Her husband was not only in his Jotun form, but he was bigger than he had ever been before.

_ How in the Nine Realms? _

She jolted as he asked her if she was hurt, his voice incredibly deep and raw. Her body trembled in sudden arousal, despite the dire circumstances.

"Umm... no. We're both fine," she squeaked, hands clutched to her breast. Fanndis clutched her waist from behind, her hands shaking as she hummed in agreement. 

Iona wanted to say more, but couldn't. Her throat felt dry, and her mind seemed to be buzzing with too many thoughts. Coherency was gone.

Loki was fully Jotun... and now everyone knew it.

**Loki simply huffed in response, animal-like, the chill air clouding his exhale again.**

**Everything in the room was quiet, all it’s occupants too stunned to act or speak. Loki narrowed his eyes at Helblindi, who was shaking, disbelief and terror plastered across his features.**

**“Now you see me, brother,” Loki snarled, dropping the Jotun king and shattering the ice around his hands almost nonchalantly. Ice that would have taken days to weaken and melt on its own. “Not dead, as was proclaimed by Laufey.”**

**He felt ** ** _incredibly _ ** **strong, more powerful physically and clear mentally than he’d ever been. He was in his home. In this kingdom that was rightfully his by birth. Suddenly, it felt like every piece of his life had fallen into place - he was where he was meant to be, ** ** _who _ ** **he was meant to be.**

**He was, at long last...** ** _himself._ **

**He hardly reacted at all to the gawking onlookers who had just watched the Allfather become the most impressive and intimidating Jotun any of them had ever seen.**

**Helblindi’s eyes would NOT leave his horns.**

Iona clutched a scared and confused Fanndis to her side as she looked on. Loki was resplendent and beautiful in all his Jotun glory...

And terrifying too.

Suddenly, all the Jotun guards in the room got down on their knees, their heads bowed in reverence. Helblindi righted himself and stared at Loki as though he had seen a ghost.

"H- _ How _ ?" he gasped, slowly stepping closer to Loki, who looked like he was about to go on a violent rampage. "Brother?"

Fanndis jerked in her hold, looking at Loki with wide, awestruck eyes. "Queen Aslaug's son... the firstborn."

**“We have much to discuss,” Loki said, feeling the royal tenor roll off his tongue with all the confidence and gravitas that he’d always strived to achieve in his Aesir form. **

**It was no wonder he’d never felt like he’d lived up to his own expectations - this magnificent being was inside him, locked away by Odin’s cruelty.**

**“Dismiss your soldiers, Helblindi." His haze gaze didn't budge an inch from his awed brother as he spoke. "Iona, please tell the Einherjar to return to Asgard as well. Let us talk, as we should have for all these years. This is no longer solely a political matter...but a family one.”**

"Y-Yes," Iona uttered softly, looking over to the Einherjar, who looked like they were about to bolt anyway.

She patted Fanndis on the back, trying to give her an encouraging smile. "It's alright, Fanndis, no one is to be harmed."

Leaving the girl standing in her place, she went over to the Einherjar. 

"You're to go back to Asgard and report directly to the Queen Mother. No word of this event shall spread to anyone, unless the Queen Mother approves," she ordered, taking on the role of the Allmother once again. "I expect you to remain loyal to the crown, as per the wishes of all our Allfathers of the past."

As the Einherjar dispersed, she turned around to look at Loki. He appeared to be somewhat calmer now, though his full Jotun frame still seemed to intimidate the whole room into submission.

**Loki gathered his siblings together at the long table, sitting next to Iona. He bent down - ** ** _far_ ** ** down - and kissed the top of her head, muttering softly, “It appears our offspring will not be the reason my secret gets out after all...”**

**Looking at Fanndis and Helblindi, his rage subsided; and with a sigh, he finally opened up.**

**“I suppose I owe you both an explanation. I only learned I was a Jotun a few years ago...my true form was hidden from me all this time. Odin claimed he rescued me, that I was abandoned in a temple by Laufey for being a runt...” He chuckled, looking down at himself. “I suppose that is one of the many lies he told me about my origins.”**

Helblindi gave him a confused, exasperated look. "If you knew, why did you not come forth honestly, brother? Why keep the Casket from us all these years? This is your  _ true  _ home... and we're suffering because of what Odin and our father did."

Iona couldn't really blame him for asking these questions, even though she still didn't like him all that much, owing to how he had treated Fanndis.

A glance at Fanndis told her that the girl was still quite shaken.

**“I...I didn’t come to you sooner because I did not know what to expect. And I did many things in pain and anger that I deeply regret. Since learning of my heritage, my life has been tumultuous, to say the least...”**

**As Loki spoke, he was both nervous and energized. Physically, he was stronger than he’d ever been - emotionally, he was terrifyingly vulnerable.**

**Suddenly, his tone was softer, almost...pleading. As much as one could infer that from his Jotun growl.**

**“There is so much I want to know...so much I have questioned since I discovered this about myself. Fanndis, Helblindi...how was I abandoned? What were you told about me? ** ** _Were_ ** ** you told anything about me?” He felt his throat tighten, nervous of what he might learn. But for the first time, he wasn’t alone. Now he might finally learn more about his past, his abandonment...and his future.**

Helblindi shook his head in dismay as Loki looked on, now somewhat uncomfortable himself. "Your mother was the first wife of King Laufey, and she was famously known as the 'cunning witch of Asgard'. She had perished in the battle that Asgard had foisted on us some thousand years ago, when you were just a babe. She had left you in the temple of Ymir for your protection..."

Iona's eyes widened in surprise. Loki's mother... was  _ Asgardian _ ?

** _My mother was Asgardian_ ** **…**

**Loki swallowed, feeling emotion tighten his chest. An Asgardian witch...had Frigga known? Is that why she shared her magic with him? His hands began to tremble, even in this sturdy form.**

**He held Iona’s now-tiny hand firmly, drawing strength from her presence. Perhaps he had waited to speak with them because he needed someone else to help him be ready for this.**

**"Tell me more. I need to know…"**

Iona tried her best to be supportive as Loki and his siblings conversed. Even though her hands seemed too small for it at the moment, she let him hold one, while the other patted over his hand soothingly.

"I'm sure that Queen Aslaug was never spoken of on Asgard. Her union with the king of Jotunheim was seen as a disgrace. She was known to be fierce and sharp of mind… traits that you seem to have inherited, brother. It was most unfortunate that we lost her so soon."

While Helblindi seemed stoic yet welcoming as he spoke to Loki... Fanndis seemed to be getting a dreamy look in her eyes.

Oh dear, the girl was probably having a moment of hero worship… well, Iona couldn't really blame her.

"I think we should inform the rest of the family.... and the people of Jotunheim," Helblindi said finally, taking a deep breath while Loki seemed to be consumed by the thoughts of his late mother. "It is a most fortuitous revelation, and we ought to hold a celebration in your honour. Jotunheim's long-lost son has returned... with a set of divine horns, no less."

**What Helblindi said brought Loki's attention back to the present, and his eyes widened in response. “** ** _Divine_ ** ** horns?”**

**Of course, he had noticed that none of the other Jotuns had them, but he’d only developed them since Iona. When he transformed with the Casket, they had been absent...**

**“What do they mean?”**

Iona listened with barely contained curiosity as Helblindi leaned forward and gave them a sharp-toothed grin.

"It means that you're a gift from the Norns themselves, brother. Horns are revered on Jotunheim. Only the few chosen ones are born with the ability to sprout horns," he stated. "They're associated with magic and power. If I'm not wrong, you're the first royal to be born with horns in around ten thousand years."

Fanndis grinned from ear to ear, gazing at Loki like he was the sun and she was a sunflower. Iona found her affection endearing.

Helblindi's gaze then drifted over to Iona. "And it seems that the Allmother knows about your Jotun heritage, horns and all... for she seems awfully comfortable and accepting of it."

His remark caused Iona's cheeks to heat up, even though she tried her best to remain poised.

**Loki cleared his throat in embarrassment as he remembered the first time Iona had seen his Jotun form...**

**“She has been...utterly compassionate and understanding, given the circumstances.” He gave her a knowing glance and kept his mouth shut about the rutting season...his siblings certainly needn’t hear ** ** _that_ ** ** tale.**

**He saw the look on Fanndis’ face then - he had been so focused on listening to Helblindi that her quiet presence was almost forgotten, but now...she looked like she might burst with excitement.**

**“Fanndis, is there anything you’d like to ask? I’ll admit...I had always wanted a sister growing up.”**

**Fanndis’ eyes went wide and she started fidgeting, as though millions of long-awaited questions were vying for her attention now, making her falter. Finally, one question worked its way to her mouth.**

**“Are you happy you’re a Jotun?” She almost squeaked the words.**

**The adults at the table stiffened at the forward question. Helblindi seemed poised to chastise her for the guileless remark, but Loki put his hand up and smiled at her, fangs and all.**

**“It has taken time, but...I am now, sister.”**

**That answer made the girl's face light up with a smile, which made Loki almost unreasonably happy.**

**"Let us celebrate indeed. I want to meet the rest of my family, I wish to know more about my birthplace, ** ** _and_ ** ** my people."**

Iona was still blushing about the horns when Loki started interacting with Fanndis, sounding more relaxed than she had expected.

And then she asked THAT question... Oh Norns...

But as she looked up at Loki and saw him freely smile for the first time since the last week... her heart just about melted.

He was happy...

And that was all she cared about.


	48. Newfallen Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Iona enjoy their evening together after his feast has ended.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Test Sunday is here and we've got a MONSTER of a chapter for you. :P Enjoy!

**Important** **Notes**

**Bold Text = Loki's POV**

Normal Text = Iona's POV

* * *

Iona leaned over and nearly attached her face to the tall and thick glass windows in the room they had been given for the evening. It was snowing, with minimal winds to disturb it. And thus the freshly fallen snow was settling over the ragged field outside like a sheet of shiny white crystals.

She had never seen anything quite like it. The whole scene was fascinating, almost magical in appearance. If the cold hadn't been so bone-chilling and uncomfortable, she'd have gone outside to observe the phenomenon more closely. Perhaps in the morning she'd do just that.

At the moment, she simply wished to enjoy some post-feasting peace with her beloved husband.

The feast held in Loki's honour finally wound down after hours of celebration. Iona was still feeling the heady effects of Jotun wine, and she wondered if her tiny frame was responsible for it. Loki didn't seem to be that affected by it, considering how much bigger he was now. 

It was strange, seeing him in this form, fully grown and towering over her...

Nevertheless, he was  _ still  _ Loki...

She had been thrilled to meet all of his family. He had one other brother, Bylestr; he, Fanndis and Helblindi were the children of the second wife of Laufey, Queen Farbauti. She had been very welcoming towards Loki, which surprised Iona a bit, for she had expected some kind of animosity between them, considering that she was his step-mother. Maybe that was just her harsh Asgardian upbringing speaking...

She heard Loki moving about behind her in the room, possibly observing his surroundings and trying to decide whether they were optimal for the Allfather and Allmother of the Nine Realms...

They had been provided with the best possible chambers, next only to the king's, as per Fanndis' claims. Iona didn't think much of it. The rooms were luxurious and spacious, not to mention, well furnished and warm.

She giggled and pressed her palms on the cold windows, feeling another rush of intoxication hitting her right then. Norns, why was the wine still affecting her so?

"Loki! Stop whatever you're doing and come here," she said, still watching the snow. "This is so pretty!"

**Loki walked up behind her and almost had to squat to put his arms around her waist. As a shapeshifter, he was accustomed to being different sizes, but this was ** ** _different_ ** **. She felt so petite in his embrace...and knowing this was his true, actual, no-magic-all-Jotun form...it was incredibly strange. Strange, but not bad.**

**“Haven’t you ever seen snow?” He chuckled, one arm able to wrap around her completely. The difference in their sizes now was near comical - he dwarfed her by almost three feet. Her head barely passed his ribs.**

**Not that he could return to his Aesir form, even if he wanted to - whatever power Jotunheim held over him wasn’t allowing him to shift into anything other than what he was. And for the first time in his life, he didn’t feel trapped by the constraint. He felt...well, as close to normal as he’d ever felt, which was saying something.**

**And all the wine he’d enjoyed at the celebration didn’t seem affect him in the least. No wonder Jotun alcohol was so strong compared to other realms...**

Iona tried to get her arm around him as she leaned against him, but it was impossible due to his current size.

Instead, she accidentally grabbed his ass. And then let out another, louder giggle.

"No, I've seen snow! It's just that here, it's so... white and crystalline! I feel like I'm watching a bed of diamonds."

**“I suppose it is rather beautiful...” he said, following her gaze out the window. His ass tingled where she had grabbed it. She was so warm, like a freshly dried blanket...he just wanted to touch her ** ** _everywhere_ ** **, but he restrained himself. For now...**

**“This is certainly not how I expected this day to end.”**

"Me neither," she admitted quietly, her giggles finally dying down. "But it ended better than I had expected. I feared bloodshed and ruthless fighting. But instead, we now have a really big family and a second home, at least according to Helblindi and Fanndis."

She turned around to look at Loki, but faced his abdomen instead of his face. Norns, this size difference was something of an issue...

Turning her head up, she gazed at him curiously. "Can you reduce or increase your size at will now? I feel so...  _ tiny _ . At this rate I'm going to have constant neck pain for having to look up at you every time we're interacting."

That last part came out as more petulant than she had expected. Oh well... she could blame the wine for that.

**“Actually...I can’t.” He chuckled, sitting on the floor cross-legged and still being almost eye-to-eye with her. “Not here. But I like it. It feels...right. And I know I won’t stay like this, but for now, I’m enjoying it.”**

**He picked her up and sat her in his lap, cradling her laying sideways across his thighs. “You’re just so...** ** _adorable_ ** ** right now.”**

"Hey!" She squirmed in his lap, kicking her feet in the air. "Don't you dare treat me like a pet now. I might be tiny but I'm..." She frowned, searching for the right word... "Still quite  _ formidable! _ "

At that, Loki laughed... and then proceeded to tickle her, enjoying her screams as she tried to, unsuccessfully, get off his lap.

"Loki, stop it! Stop  _ manhandling  _ me, you brute," she cried, flailing as he held her in place with just his hand against her middle. 

Damnit, he was  _ really  _ enjoying being a literal giant. 

At some point, she gave up trying to escape his hold and lay in his lap in a heap of trembling limbs, quite put out by his tickling moves.

**He bit his lower lip in amusement, one fang poking out. Iona had always been feisty, and that was now coming off like a kitten batting at a toy.**

** _Not a pet indeed..._ **

**Then, he had a thought...a thought he immediately wished hadn’t come to mind, but he knew it would have eventually. And his instinctive body would have outed him soon enough regardless. The amused smile turned just a touch darker.**

**“I don’t think I ** ** _want _ ** **to stop manhandling you, little one.” He moved his huge, blue hand up from her stomach, and he was able to cover both her breasts at once...the visual was stunning, strange, and...**

**Suddenly, another part of his giant self began to grow.**

Iona watched him carefully as he grasped her breasts through the dress, her lips parting in both surprise and sudden lust.

"L-Loki?" she squeaked, her pitch embarrassingly high.

She started squirming in his lap again, just as his fingers began to rub her nipples. That's how her ass encountered his growing manhood.

_ Oh Norns... _

Her giant of a husband was aroused. She knew she was going to get manhandled in a  _ very  _ different way now...

**Part of the thrill was knowing he would have to be ** ** _so _ ** **careful...she was so delicate, so precious and beautiful and...**

**He wanted to ** ** _eat _ ** **her. Not ** ** _literally_ ** **, but the desire to squeeze her until she squealed was almost insurmountable.**

**So he just rubbed his hand around on her chest, letting the rough skin of his palm do the work for him, his eyes glued to her face with fascination and delight.**

**“Ready for your next test, sweetling?” he growled softly.**

She bit her lip, looking up at him with slight apprehension.

"How do we...?" she asked nervously, her hands covering his on her breasts. A shiver ran through her at the sight of his dark grin. By Valhalla, she secretly loved that grin, but also, was afraid of it in a way. Now it was accompanied by his long fangs too.

How would they feel against her skin...? Would they draw blood? More so, would his  _ manhood _ ...well, would it still fit?

Her inebriated brain had some trouble coming to terms with all these questions.

"You're really wanting to try this? You're a literal giant..."

**“Yes, dear, that’s ** ** _why _ ** **I want to try it.” His brain was spinning, caught up in his fantasies...it was getting hard to focus on anything else. “I won’t be like this anymore when we return to Asgar; we might as well give it a shot while we’re here. You know what to say if you want me to stop…”**

**He stroked her hair back with his free hand, and began sliding his other hand down past her stomach...**

She gave him a slow nod as his hand traveled down and cupped her sex through her dress. 

A sigh escaped her lips then, the pressure of his hand igniting her desire further. So when he began to pull the folds of her skirts up, she tried to help him along, pulling them up to her waist and keeping them there, clutched tightly in her hands.

He uttered a low growl upon seeing her soft, simple underclothes, and she assumed that he was miffed upon seeing them.

"I can't go without them when I'm riding," she explained in a small voice, pulling her skirts further up. "And you weren't home, so..."

**“Excuses, excuses...” he tisked. “And after I got you all that beautiful lingerie that you ** ** _swore_ ** ** you would wear under all your queenly garb. Though, I suppose if you were wearing those, I wouldn’t be compelled to do ** ** _this._ ** **” And with a single finger he ripped her panties off of her.**

**Realizing she was still in her riding clothes was a reminder of what a strange turn of events had occurred.** ** _ Just earlier today_ ** ** he’d been on Muspelheim, he’d quelled the uprising there and then immediately come here to save Iona...everything had changed in a handful of hours.**

**And then he felt her hot, wet sex, and all those thoughts disappeared like a white Jotun winterbear in a snowstorm.**

**She felt even hotter than usual! How was it that she didn’t just melt him, or set him on fire? And why did he ** ** _want _ ** **that heat so badly? Holding his breath, he carefully slid one finger inside her and watched her face as his single digit stretched her open...**

Her legs fell open the moment he slid his finger inside her. Oh damn... it was longer, bigger... and she wondered just how much the difference would be for his manhood.

As he started stroking her, her breath grew short, and her eyes became unfocused with urgent need. 

"L-Loki... oh Norns..." she moaned, moving her hips in tandem with that finger. "I never knew… never imagined that I'd be taken by a giant!"

**He tried to respond, but as soon as she said “taken by a giant” his throat closed. A shot of intense arousal went down his spine, straight to his loins. This form - his natural, original, completely ** ** _him _ ** **form - was stronger and more virile than any other he’d experienced. His mind was clear - not like the rutting they went through a year ago. And his size...** ** _she_ ** ** did this to him. Only Iona could bring this out.**

**And she deserved to be rewarded for her loyalty and fortitude.**

**“Are you scared?” he growled, low and deep and dark, adding a second finger to her weeping cunt. She was so tight! His cock jumped, imagining squeezing into that little channel...**

"A wee bit," she replied, breathing harder now, lost in his beautiful crimson eyes. He was staring at her so possessively, it made her flutter with goosebumps. "I-I feel so small."

Those wicked long fingers curved inside her, touching that spot that made her desperate to come. She immediately arched her back, almost rolling off his lap. 

"Norns! You're killing me, husband!"

**“Sweetling, we’re just getting started...now lay back and relax.” He leaned down to her face, grinning that sharp toothed grin.**

**“Let Daddy take care of you...”**

**He put his hand behind her head and lifted her into a reclined sitting position, then rocked her on his fingers, letting his thumb brush her clit with wide, strong strokes. Her feet pressed against his folded thigh and calf, and he shuddered as she grew accustomed to his penetration, seeking her own pleasure. He happily let her set the pace, but would not allow her to come yet.**

Iona was happily humping his fingers now, growing so slick that she could hear the wet noises coming off them.

Even though it made her flush a deep red, she couldn't stop. Her pleasure was rising, and she wanted relief so badly. 

However, just as she was within reach of her orgasm, he pulled his fingers out and held her firmly cradled in his arm. She looked up at him in surprise and annoyance, her whole body trembling with need.

"Tease," she cried, wiggling in his grip and hitting his massive chest with her fist. "Brute!"

**He snorted in amusement, her pounding on his chest feeling like the small patter of a kitten. And she was even more like a little kitten right now...**

**“Not teasing. Patient. And careful....and hmm, perhaps just a bit teasing...” he admitted, winking at her salaciously. “I want you to be absolutely ready. Now sit back and stop this pathetic attempt to fight me, you tiny minx.”**

**He pressed into her slick center again and groaned with delight as she arched her back and cried out. “Mmmm… maybe just one orgasm to loosen you up first… the clutch of your cunt is ** ** _so tight_ ** ** on my fingers, I wonder what will happen when it’s my cock.”**

"You don't play fair!" she griped, pushing her heels against his thigh as he went back to stroking her. 

Her hands gripped his forearm as he continued to slowly stoke the fire of her lust, to a point where she knew that just a single rub and nudge against her secret pleasure spot would have her releasing in a second.

"Loki..." she moaned desperately. "Daddy, please let me come!"

**“As you wish,” he chucked, and he touched her in that spot inside her he knew she loved, gently, with just the very tip of his huge finger.**

**She clenched and spasmed around him instantly, letting out a moan that would have made a female Jotun in heat proud. Her tiny body shook in his grip, and his heart thundered. He almost couldn’t believe it - she was ** ** _ravenous _ ** **for him, more so than ever before...and ** ** _that _ ** **was saying something.**

**“Very good,” he murmured, resting her little head on his thigh and stroking her hair again, his fingers still resting inside her. “I think you ** ** _like _ ** **feeling small.”**

She trembled in the aftershocks as he stroked her hair and spoke in that deep, alluring voice that made her mad with lust.

Despite the orgasm he just gave her, her body craved more.

"That's..." She swallowed, frowning as she considered his words. "That's just... it doesn't make sense. I don't like being small."

As she said that last bit, she imagined being dwarfed by his large frame, impaled on his hard flesh, and it sent a delicious shudder through her.

**“Liar,” he simpered, divesting himself of his Jotun robes immediately. “When are you going to realize that there’s no point in trying to hide your true feelings from me?” He stroked her again, just a bit, then removed his fingers and licked them clean. Norns, she tasted even better than usual.**

**“Oh, I think you’re ready,” he whispered, and he picked her up - light as a rag doll - and held her opening over his cock.**

**The head pressed against her slick folds…**

**Hmm, maybe he ** ** _wouldn’t _ ** **fit. But it was worth a try. He allowed her to sit on it, letting gravity gently press him inside her.**

Iona shivered, looking at him with widening eyes as gravity slowly worked and impaled her on his manhood. 

After a point, her insides twinged in discomfort, and she grasped his shoulders to stop her descent on his hard flesh. 

"T-Too much... hold me, please," she whispered, struggling on his lap. "You're so big... Norns!"

**Grasping the swell of her ass, he stopped her descent and let her adjust, feeling the insides of her thighs shake. He felt so in control, the protective instinct allowing him to simply enjoy her instead of feeling the need to satisfy his own lust.**

**Mostly, he was fascinated by what was happening. And he wanted to see her come over and over again on his cock, until she was a twitching puddle on their bed. His own desire was stoked and steady - he could do this all night.**

She breathed heavily, leaning against his chest as he held her. She had slid half-way down on his manhood, and her channel was gripping him tightly. 

It was so overwhelming...

"Clothes... remove them," she whispered, pressing her palms onto his cold skin, slowly beginning to move, flexing herself over his hard flesh.

**“With pleasure...” he growled. He latched his finger under the fabric at her neckline, then flayed the dress open, watching the threads and laces fall apart. The remains of the dress fell off his wife’s tiny frame and laid limply across his lap. He brushed them off with a single gesture.**

**“We’ll have to apologize to Willa when we return,” Loki grinned when he saw a hint of guilt cross Iona’s face as he destroyed the garment. “But for now, put your hands on my shoulders, and your knees on my hips to support yourself, sweetling.”**

She followed his instructions without any hesitance, trusting him to make this experience more pleasurable for her.

Now that she was sitting on her knees, the pressure of his enlarged manhood wasn't unbearable. She moved up and down on him at a gentle pace, letting her flexible body accept more of him slowly. 

"Oh Loki..." she moaned, clenching around him. "I feel like you're re-arranging my insides."

**Loki just grunted in response, his lust beginning to percolate as he watched her bounce slowly on his hard, huge cock, plowing into her naked and pale and so, so tiny body.**

**She wasn’t filled completely yet, but she was making progress. He doubted he would hilt her in this form...although he looked forward to seeing how far she could take him.**

**He held her around her waist, his hands completely covering her ribs and hips, and he matched her speed while helping her move. Still, the control remained - he kept his crimson eyes locked on her face, reveling in every peaked brow and soft, determined moan.**

Iona arched her back as the twinges of pain and discomfort subsided, making way for pleasure. Slowly, she let her legs slide down his hips, which in turn made him slide deeper into her slick channel. 

She whimpered, feeling as though she'd burst from the pressure of having him inside her. He was pushing against some deep part of her, stirring a strange kind of pleasure within her. 

Suddenly, as he moved his hips slightly up to thrust further into her, she felt herself gush all over him. 

She shrieked, startled by what had just happened. "Loki! Fuck! What in the... Nine... Norns!"

**As her fluids came cascading out of her, Loki’s pupils dilated and a low laugh rumbled from his chest.**

**“Ooooh, Iona. So you’re a gusher...” The laugh kept building in him - accompanied by a growl of lust and amusement. “After all this time, and all our forays into the erotic, and I’m still learning more about you.”**

**He saw the flush of embarrassment on her cheeks, and quickly leaned forward, putting his forehead on hers and staring into her beautiful amber eyes.**

**“I love it. I love everything your body does, how it reacts to my touch, how you can’t control what the pleasure does to you. I would be so very disappointed if you were to hold back because you feel self-conscious...you’re a ** ** _queen_ ** **, dear. You are beholden to no one’s opinion.”**

**Then he felt her relax. Her body began to slip down, aided by the additional fluids… and he was fully inside her. Unbelievably, she had taken all of him. With wide eyes, he rocked her against him and was rewarded with another gush of liquid.**

**He groaned as her clenching tightness nearly drove him mad. “Are you close, sweetling?” His voice strained as he felt his own pleasure beginning to crest...**

Iona was nearly senseless with lust now, clenching around him helplessly as more of her essence gushed out.

Norns, this had never happened before... she knew not what was happening to her.

But Loki's encouraging words made her feel so much better. His laugh only enhanced her pleasure. She was so close...

"Y-Yes... yes, Daddy!" she cried, sobbing against his lips as he canted his hips into her, pressing on that sweet spot that made her gush.

**Her fluids were everywhere, warm and dripping off of him, and he was ready - so ready - to empty into her.**

**And then their conversation from before he went to Musphelheim returned to his thoughts...of how he was afraid of the kind of world their offspring might enter, how they might be treated. What would the consequences be if the world found out about his heritage.**

**Well...that issue was well and truly resolved, was it not? Which meant...**

**He placed his hand on her stomach in front of him; good gods of gods he could feel himself inside her! Pressing gently into her flesh, he whispered something softly, a quiet incantation that caused a glow of warmth where he touched her. Then, he looked deeply into her eyes, his throat tight, brows peaked.**

**“Are you ready to be a mother, darling?”**

What he said startled her... and caused her to tumble straight into an orgasm. For the next few moments, she forgot herself completely, just contracting around his massive manhood, lost to the intense pleasure...

**He exploded, his seed bursting into her now-fertile and open womb, filling her with so much cum that, even squeezed in her tight channel, his own emissions squirted from her center and mingled with her gush on his thighs** .

The room echoed their sounds of pleasure, merging together as one in their climax. It was quite possibly the longest orgasm she had ever experienced.

When Iona came back to her senses... she blinked in confusion, recalling his words. 

"Loki..." she murmured softly, her voice still weak from the orgasm, not to mention the fact that she was still joined with him. "What you said... do you mean it?"

**Breathing heavily, he kept his huge hand on her stomach. He half-expected to begin shrinking and reverting to his Aesir form, as usually happened, but he felt none of the telltale sensations of transformation. Opening his eyes, he smiled at her - a genuine smile, honestly happy, his intense crimson eyes squinting and crinkling at the edges.**

**“Yes.”**

"Oh Norns, husband!" She kissed him, thorough and deep, wrapping her arms around his neck--as much as she could--almost bouncing atop him in her excitement.

**He groaned as her tight channel moved around him, even as lubricated and spent as they both were. Her lips were so small against his, and in this one instance, he did look forward to being smaller again, closer in size to her - he almost felt like he could fit her entire head in his mouth, which did not sound appealing.**

She gasped into his mouth as he twitched inside her, still hard as a rod. Her sensitive flesh squeezed around him in response, pleasure shooting up her spine all over again.

Moaning softly, she pulled away from his mouth and stared into his bright ruby eyes. "You're still hard..."

**He smiled at her with a soft chuckle. “So it seems. Though I’m much more concerned about you - how do you feel? I’m afraid you might be incredibly sore...admittedly I’m not sure I’ll ever be fully sated in this form...”**

She blushed and hid her face into his chest, her channel squeezing around him again to give her state of intense arousal away.

"N-Not sore... not really..."

**Loki grinned and began lifting and lowering her again, slowly. “Greedy woman...” he growled, the bursts of pleasure causing his toes to curl with each thrust.**

**He swallowed hard and gulped a breath - she was accustomed to his size, she was slick with their prior lovemaking, she smelled incredible - earthy, yet still floral as was her usual perfume, and the pheromones she gave off were especially powerful.**

**Within a few more thrusts, he felt the familiar coiling sensation at the base of his spine starting to tighten again.**

**The thought of her, pregnant, round and soft, with milk-filled breasts and that slow, wobbly walk expectant mothers endured… sent a thrill straight to his cock. His heart thundered in his chest. The one thing he never thought he would have was now the only thing he wanted.**

**“Anything you desire, Iona, you'll have. You’ve passed yet another test with flying colors, my sweet wife.”**

She panted into his chest as he all but bounced her on his aroused flesh, making her see stars with the intense pleasure it caused.

"Norns... your ridiculous tests," she muttered, a smile gracing her face as her pleasure slowly began to rise.

**"You love my ridiculous tests," he said with a playful growl, nipping her neck with his fangs, causing her to shiver in pleasure.**

**By the Yggdrasil, he loved how responsive she was. Everything he did to her, she loved and accepted with the same wild abandon that he possessed. They were truly a perfect match, even with the present size difference...**

**Loki took her again on the floor, until her cries melded into one long, desperate moan.**

**He took her on the bed while she straddled him, her knees never touching the blankets as he held her legs aloft in his grip.**

**He took her against the wall, from behind, pinning her without the use of his hands.**

**He went down on her, tasting their combined essences and working his huge tongue inside of her until she gushed into his mouth.**

**He tried to go for her rear...but that remained a challenge for another day. So he resorted to toying with her clit while his cock stretched her pussy once again.**

**She was completely at his mercy, and her answering cries of helpless pleasure were an absolute delight.**

**He didn't pull out of her until the sky began to turn pink with morning light and the sun crested over the mountains in the distance, casting beautiful streaks of light across the newfallen snow. By then, she was unable to move, and the only sounds she could make were incoherent groans. He chuckled at the thought that, if he filled her with anymore of his seed, she might actually burst. So, with a happy and satisfied grin, he curled up against her and drifted off as a new day began in the Nine Realms.**

**Their room was completely wrecked, but their conjugal life had been restored.**


	49. Reconciliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki's families finally come together - in peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, fabulous readers, it's been one heck of a ride, hasn't it? Latent_Thoughts and I have had a wonderful time writing this story and sharing it with you all, and we hope you've enjoyed it along with us. We'll have one more post after this one (an epilogue), but with this chapter, "I Will Always Test You" is officially DONE!

Important Notes

**Bold Text = Loki's POV**

Normal Text = Iona's POV

* * *

The next day, Iona found herself chatting with Fanndis in her sitting room, listening to her relay all sorts of things about Jotunheim with never-ending excitement.

"You know, the snow beast cubs aren't dangerous. We used to ride them when we were smaller. It was fun! Though, they ran away, and I had to chase them a lot."

Iona smiled at her, imagining a chubby little Fanndis trying to chase a snow beast cub through the snow. "I used to do that to ponies."

"Ponies?" Fanndis, looked at her in confusion. 

"They're like horses, but smaller."

"Oh!"

She was about to go into a detailed explanation about what ponies were, but they were interrupted by Loki's entrance into the room. He had to duck under the doorway, horns gently grazing the top of the frame before he stood fully upright again.

Iona's gaze locked to his, a slow blush covering her cheeks as she remembered their non-stop coupling of last night. It was so intense that she still felt him inside her.

Not to mention, the soreness. _ Oh _the soreness...

Loki seemed to catch on to her thoughts, for he gave her a salacious smirk before turning his attention towards his sister. 

Fanndis jumped up to give him a hug, almost hanging onto his shoulders in her enthusiasm. That made Iona giggle, especially with the way Loki looked so helplessly at her. 

She guessed that the open affection still surprised him.

**Loki chuckled as Fanndis leapt on him, giving her a firm hug before slowly lowering her to the ground. Norns, to think he was going to have a child of his own someday...he only hoped they would be as wonderful and enthusiastic as his sister was now.**

**And Iona was going to be their mother.**

**He almost faltered.**

**“Sorry to interrupt, ladies, but my family...eh, my ** ** _Asgardian _ ** **family...is about to arrive. I can’t wait for you to meet them, Fanndis - I believe you and the Queen Mother will get along famously.”**

**Fanndis squealed in response and ran out to the throne room, leaving Loki and Iona by themselves. He still wasn’t used to their size difference - she seemed so much further down. **

**He suddenly had to urge to...no, no she would ** ** _hate_ ** ** that. Best not to…**

**Then again, he likely wouldn’t have another chance for quite some time, so...**

**Before he could talk himself out of it, Loki put his elbow on her head and leaned on her gently, biting his lip to hold in the laugh before finally asking, “How’s it going down there?”**

Iona was busy daydreaming about redecorating the royal nursery and imagining Loki playing with their child when suddenly, Loki put his elbow - his damned _ elbow! _\- on her head and asked that offending question.

She slapped his arm away and moved from under it.

"You're so annoying sometimes! I don't know why I married you," she muttered, turning around to face him. "People here believe that it was a budding childhood romance, and that we carried on the relationship on the sly. You wouldn't have anything to do with that rumour, hmm?"

**“I did pick you for a reason, sweetling...” Loki mused as he began to walk toward the throne room, making sure to take small enough steps that Iona wouldn’t need to scurry to keep up with him. “And you’re so good at keeping up appearances and validating rumors. But you ** ** _do _ ** **have a tell when you’re lying. It’s very subtle. I think I’m still the only one that ever notices it...”**

"What?" she asked in surprise. "No, I do not! How do you even know?"

She tried her best to walk with grace, which was tough, considering the twinges she was feeling between her legs.

"Wait, nevermind. I know what you're going to say - God_ of Lies, blah blah... _"

**He grinned and spun around, so he walked backward in front of her, arms spread in a gesture of acceptance of her assessment.**

**“It ** ** _is _ ** **my specialty. Most people have tells - some much more obvious than others - but yours is so unique to you that it took me quite a while to see it. You should be very proud of yourself. I find a great amount of fun in interpreting your idiosyncrasies, so I assume someday I will know all of them.”**

**With one last smirk, he spun again and was soon walking next to her, right as they approached the doors. He leaned over and whispered in her ear before they entered.**

**“Your jaw tightens just enough to make your right ear wiggle.”**

**Then the door opened, and Loki and Iona were greeted with the smiling faces of Thor and Frigga.**

Iona only blushed deeper and deeper as he teased her, acting surprisingly upbeat and so... _ happy _. For a moment, when he leaned over her, she entertained the thought that he was going to pick her up and rush off to their chambers.

She wasn't averse to it, even though she was sore. Maybe he could soothe her with his silver tongue again...

Her impromptu daydreaming stopped when he finally mentioned her tell. Norns... now she was going to get self-conscious _ every time _ she tried to lie in front of him.

But all those thoughts were pushed to the back of her mind when the door to the throne room opened. 

The Queen Mother was there to greet them, along with Prince Thor. They were there with a smaller contingent of the Eingherjar, less threatening and closer to a friendly and diplomatic visit.

Their smiles faltered the moment they laid their eyes on Loki, though. This was the first time they were seeing him like this - fully Jotun, and it showed.

**Frigga was able to maintain her composure quite well, only pressing her lips together before controlling the urge to react, then smiling in her genuine, motherly way once again.**

**Thor, on the other hand...**

**“** ** _Loki?!._ ** **.. Loki, is that you?!”**

**His jaw almost dropped to the frozen floor, staring up at his younger brother - far up, in fact.**

**Loki smirked, taking no small satisfaction in Thor’s disbelief...and how short he was.**

**“Hello Thor. How’s Midgard these days?”**

Iona covered her mouth to stop her snort of amusement at Thor's reaction. Loki's sarcastic, nearly mocking tone only added to it.

Oh, he was _ really _enjoying being a giant, wasn't he?

"Midgard is... fine," Thor replied, still looking utterly lost as he stared at Loki. "Brother... how?"

It was Frigga who thought to cut the tension between them, stepping forward with open arms. "Son, I had thought that my days of seeing you grow were over. But you always manage to surprise me, don't you?"

She embraced Loki with a warm, loving smile. Even though it was awkward because of their size difference, the familial affection was genuine.

Iona smiled at them, noticing how the rest of the Jotuns in the room watched them with wonder as well. Yet another win for the Jotun-Aesir relations, she supposed.

**Loki smiled and returned Frigga’s hug, being as gentle as he could be. The embrace felt...like home. Being this way, and being loved and accepted by the woman who raised him...**

**Norns, it was more than he ever would have dared to wish for only two years earlier.**

**He felt his eyes well with emotion at the simple act, but he forced himself to keep it together by clearing his throat.**

**“Thank you for coming. Come, let us sit and talk. I’ve had the kitchen prepare a wonderful meal for us of Jotun delicacies. I believe you’ll enjoy it quite a bit.”**

**He leaned down to Frigga and nudged her shoulder gently. “Especially the raudrberries.”**

**Frigga's answering laughter was like a peal of bells.**

**The next few minutes passed in making formal introductions between the Asgardian and Jotun royalty. Loki managed it seamlessly, with Iona right by his side. The gentle grasp of her hand on his forearm was a comfort; it gave him the confidence to play the 'bridge' between the two hostile realms.**

**When the meet-and-greet formalities were finally over, they all took their seats at the enormous feasting table, with Thor sitting next to Loki, and Iona sitting between Loki and Frigga. The rest of the Jotun royalty, including Loki’s family, seated themselves all around the table and began to partake in the delicious fare in front of them.**

**Loki leaned over to Thor, who still seemed quite overwhelmed by his brother’s size and form, and grinned in a way that was classic Loki.**

**“What’s wrong, brother? Bilgesnipe got your tongue?”**

Thor coughed a bit in response, turning red as the rest of Loki's Jotun family tittered. 

Iona nudged Loki's thigh in response, silently telling him to cease the ribbing at once. Thor was clearly uncomfortable in this realm, and for good reason. He had been an aggressor on his last visit to Jotunheim, and it was surely weighing on him, she assumed.

"I'm just very surprised, Loki," Thor said finally, taking a long draft of the Jotun wine. "From what I had been told upon my arrival on Asgard, you had left in a state of berserker rage. But there's no bloodshed to support that here. It's a most pleasant surprise."

From across the table, Helblindi shifted uncomfortably upon hearing Thor's comment. "It wouldn't have come to that had we known the truth about our dear brother. Alas, Odin's actions continue to spread misunderstandings, even now."

Iona nudged Loki again, wanting him to dispel the sudden tension between his two brothers. She didn't wish to see a fight at the feasting table.

**“Laufey had his faults as well,” Loki said calmly, quelling the aggressive tone in Helblindi’s voice. “But we will not make the same mistakes our fathers did.”**

**Loki lifted his goblet and looked around the table. His heart was pounding - he had brought the two realms together in peace, simply because of ** ** _who he was_ ** **. The secret that had been kept from him, that he feared would destroy him once it was known, was now out...and he’d never been happier. Instead of tearing him apart, it brought his families together. It brought his ** ** _people _ ** **together.**

**And it was all because of Iona. She’d given him compassion and faith when he’d needed it, shown him that no matter how much he hated himself, she loved him anyway. And his love for her had brought out his true nature - both in form and soul. Strong, intelligent, powerful...he was the man he wanted to be. For her.**

**“Ladies and gentlemen, a toast. To new beginnings. To shedding our fears and anxieties, and allowing change to bring good into our lives. To family. To love.” He looked down at his queen and smiled. “To you, Iona, my dear wife, my queen. For your bravery, your patience, and your spirit, I dedicate this reunion to you.”**

**With that, he drank the sweet wine and returned to his seat, putting his hand on Iona’s thigh and leaning down to press his forehead to hers. He spoke quietly enough that no one else could hear.**

**“And the sex. All the dirty, salacious things we’ve done. The times you’ve let me take you to the peak of pleasure on my tongue, on my hand, and on my cock. The extreme acts you’ve trusted me to perform on you. And the way your body reacts to mine. I drink to that, sweetling.”**

Iona was poised to accept his toast to her, but now, after hearing all his prurient whispers, she was quite speechless. 

And blushing profusely. 

She dipped her head into the crook of his neck as the others clamoured in agreement to Loki, raising their own goblets in the air. 

"To more reunions in the future," Laufey’s second wife, Queen Farbauti called joyously, "where I hope to see your family expand with a gaggle of children."

**"As do I, your majesty," Loki said, so genuinely excited that he almost laughed. No, it was too soon to make any announcements about that yet...but it wouldn't be much longer. He thrilled with anticipation.**

**The feast continued well into the evening, with both the Aesir and the Jotuns chatting, resolving misunderstandings, and laughing about the strange misconceptions that had been spread throughout their worlds.**

**Frigga leaned over to Iona, smiling as she took another sip of the wine.**

**"So, Allmother, that was quite the toast from the king. He seems rather impressed with you."**

**The knowing smile on her face - so much like Loki's - exuded joy. She had watched Iona grow up, after all. And she was handling all of this with such grace.**

"He has a habit of exaggerating things," Iona whispered shyly, taking a bite of her dessert. "All I did was get abducted."

Beside her, Loki chuckled, poking a finger in her side to tickle her. 

She squirmed, looking at Frigga helplessly. "Your son's being very annoying right now."

A server brought her a large goblet of wine, and Iona bit her lip, pushing it away deliberately. Even though she wasn't yet sure if Loki's seed had taken root inside her or not, she wanted to take the right precautions in ensuring the safety of their heir.

**Frigga raised an eyebrow at Iona's refusal of the beverage, but said nothing.**

**"So tell me more about Fanndis - she seems lovely. Very bright."**

"Fanndis is indeed lovely," Iona stated with a smile, looking pointedly at the girl now. 

Fanndis perked up at the attention, looking over at them eagerly.

"She told me all the things I needed to know about Jotunheim. She has essentially been my guide and helper here. In fact, I'd love to return the favour to her, by inviting her to Asgard in the near future. What do you say, Queen Mother?"

**"I think it's a wonderful idea," Frigga said, though even as she spoke she felt the weight grow in her heart. There were still plenty of Aesir who despised the Jotuns, and the opposite was certainly true as well. This feast was a good start, but it would be quite some time before the general population accepted such a major cultural shift.**

**"We can start making plans once we return to Asgard...there will be much work to be done. And many hearts to be won over."**

**Frigga looked over at Loki, and a sad, almost nostalgic look crossed her face.**

**"I am so proud of him," she said in a whisper, watching him talk to Thor and Helblindi, sitting between them and appearing visually as a leader of both tribes.**

**"What were you planning to name your first child?"**

Iona nearly choked on her last spoonful of dessert. Frigga was so perceptive. Norns...

Clearing her throat, Iona looked down and tried to focus on the folds of her dress rather than her sudden case of nerves.

"I... I haven't given it much thought yet. Perhaps the king will think of one. When the time comes, that is."

She peeked at Loki before turning to Frigga. He was still playing the mediator, but she was sure he could hear the conversation.

**Frigga smiled and gazed off in the distance, a mysterious sparkle in her eye.**

**“I’ve always been fond of the name Hvedrungr, for a son,” she grinned, then took another sip of the wine. “It’s quite sentimental.”**

**Then, before Iona could ask, Frigga turned to her with a bright smile.**

**“So, what happened, exactly? I’ve only gotten a brief report from the Einherjar, but I want to know everything.”**

**When Loki heard them move on to safer conversational territory, he exhaled with silent relief. Of course his mother already knew...and Iona handled it with the grace he’d learned to expect.**

**“Eh...Loki?” Thor said quietly. “Could we speak privately?”**

**Loki raised an eyebrow, but he nodded solemnly and excused himself with Thor, finding a secluded room behind the throne.**

Iona watched, from the corner of her eye, as Loki and Thor stood up together and exited the hall. Perhaps Thor wished to talk to him alone. It made sense, in a way, since they were meeting after quite some time.

Fanndis had now joined her and Frigga in their little icy corner, a large fruity drink in her hand. 

"Try this, it's called the raudrberry kick," she said, handing the drink to Frigga. "It's my favourite since childhood."

"You're_ still _ a child," Helblindi called from behind her, and she just rolled her eyes in a way that was very similar to her eldest brother.

"I wanted to ask something," she said, ignoring the teasing comment. "Will you help me? Or just... let me know if it is something that my brother--that the Allfather would like?"

"Go on," Frigga said gently, taking a sip of the drink and handing it to Iona. 

"I wanted to give him something special, as a parting gift from his family here. It's something I have been working on since yesterday. But I do not know whether he'd like it or not, and it's making me so nervous! He's my brother and I want to make him happy, you see. But I'm not sure..."

Iona looked at her curiously. "Can you show it to us? I'm sure he'd like it, whatever it is that you want to give him."

Fanndis nodded excitedly. "Let us head to my rooms, then. I feel so honoured that you want to see it!"

~~~

**“Is it really you?” Thor asked once they were alone, shutting the door behind him. “How is it that you didn’t look like this the last time you were on Jotunheim? How do I know you are who you say you are?”**

**Loki’s responding smirk made Thor falter in his doubt instantly. It was almost ** ** _definitely _ ** **Loki...but he knew that the Jotuns were clever - they’d abducted the queen only two days ago and nearly started a war. Now, suddenly they were Asgard’s most trusted ally? If they had heard of Loki’s heritage, they could have lured him here with Iona, killed him, and had another Jotun take his place. But if this was an act, it was a ** ** _very convincing_ ** ** act.**

**“Brother,” Loki chuckled. “Do you honestly think I could fool ** ** _our mother_ ** ** \- she’d know me anywhere. Trust me, I’ve tried. Do you remember that time she grabbed me before I followed the servant girls to the bathing quarters disguised as one of them? She was so mad, I lost library privileges for a month.”**

**“Yes, and you became bored and decided that pestering me was the solution,” Thor grimaced. “You wouldn’t leave me alone until I—"**

**“Went hunting for trolls in Vanaheim, I believe. Alone. In the swamps. In summer.”**

**“That is how incredibly tired I was of your rambling.” Thor chuckled, relaxing a bit. The banter felt familiar, and every mannerism and intonation the giant Jotun in front of him made was indeed the same as Loki’s. It was hard to believe, but the man he had grown up with - the man he knew better than just about anyone - truly was the long-lost Jotun crown prince.**

~~~

Iona was... emotional.

Fanndis had just shown Frigga and her the gift she had prepared for Loki. It was a little journal, with writings and drawings about his birth mother, the late queen of Jotunheim, along with other little anecdotes regarding Jotunheim.

"This is truly beautiful, child, well done," Frigga said, stroking Fanndis's head lovingly. "He should definitely know about his mother. She was a brilliant sorceress." Her countenance grew sad then. "It's too bad that Odin never liked her. But I'm glad that you have memories of her saved."

Fanndis was overjoyed. "Do you think my brother will like it?"

Iona and Frigga both nodded in unison. 

"Oh, he's going to treasure it."

Once the three of them returned to the feast, they found that Thor and Loki were still missing from the hall. 

"Now, where are those two?" Iona asked, her eyes searching for her husband through the crowd of Jotuns.

She just hoped that he and Thor weren't about to bring the Utgard palace down.

"Worry not, they'll be back," Frigga assured her, patting her back gently. "You need to learn to be less anxious about your dear husband. Save it for your brood."

Iona bit her lip and gave her a little nod in response, while Fanndis did her best to put two and two together.

"You're… you're with child?" she whispered, her crimson eyes growing wide. "Oh no, you weren't jostled too hard by the abducting party, were you?"

Iona almost snorted at her questions. 

"No, not with child yet, but… umm… soon."

"Oh! I can't wait to play with my little nieces and nephews!" Fanndis clasped her hands together and bounced excitedly. "I used to think that I'd need to wait years for that, since Helblindi is not yet married. But it's so fortuitous that you and King Loki came into my life!"

Frigga chuckled at her enthusiasm, while Iona's thoughts drifted to the future, imagining a couple of children around herself and Loki.

"I'm glad that our families finally came together."

~~~

**Thor grinned, relieved, and hugged Loki around his waist. He knew it likely looked ridiculous, and Loki would probably make fun of him for it, but he didn't care.**

**"I am glad you are well," Thor said so earnestly that Loki's breath hitched. He hugged Thor back gently.**

**"I am glad we can finally be as we are - you belong out in the universe, not chained to the responsibilities of the Allfather. And I...well, my greatest secret is now common knowledge, and being unburdened of that is...well, it's made me the happiest I've ever been. And I owe it to Iona...she helps me face my demons. And I'm better for it."**

**"I understand, Brother. Truly, I do.” Thor looked like he was about to cry, his lower lip quivering with emotion. “Jane and I are going to be married next spring. Her love has been the greatest treasure of my life."**

**Loki felt his chest tighten, thrilled for Thor and Jane. He’d never known this level of joy was even possible...but at the same time, he couldn’t help but rib his older brother a bit.**

**“About time you did the honourable thing, you womanizing cad…” Loki smirked, and Thor laughed, hitting him in the arm playfully.**

**Several minutes later, they returned to the feasting hall and settled in their seats once again, smiling and chatting like the brothers they had always been.**

"What were you two up to?" Iona asked Loki, resting her palms against his shoulders from behind. "I was a bit afraid that you and Thor had had some kind of falling out. But he looks... different now. More serene and mature. What is going on?"

**"Thor and Jane are betrothed. ** ** _Finally_ ** **." Loki smiled, then the hint of a snark broke through. "We had a bit of a moment; we laughed, we cried, we learned more about one another..." Loki rolled his eyes. "Let's just say...this seems like quite a happy ending for you and me. I'm just enjoying it, is all."**

"More like a happy _ beginning _, husband," she corrected him, lowering her head as she spoke in his ear. "I cannot wait to get back home and be alone with you."

Just to get back at him for making her blush earlier, she bit his earlobe discreetly and then turned away.

**He shivered and chuckled darkly, watching her with his crimson eyes. He looked around the room, and it seemed that everyone was about done with their meals. Now was as good a time as any.**

**He stood, gently clinking a knife against his goblet to get the attention of the crowd. Silence fell over the room and all eyes landed on him. With a subtle breath, he brought on his most royal demeanor.**

**"There is one more thing I'd like to do before we end our evening. Helblindi, please stand."**

**Helblindi slowly rose, watching his brother curiously. Loki simply smiled at him and held out his hand, summoning the Casket of Ancient Winters.**

**"I believe this belongs here, with you. Take good care of it, brother. We both know what it can do...and it is up to us to ensure that it will never be used for violence again."**

The hall grew completely silent, everyone shocked to see the powerful Casket finally being returned to their realm. 

Iona, on the other hand, smiled proudly. Loki had made a very wise decision today, something that would not just bring him closer to his brother, but also bring the whole realm of Jotunheim back into the fold of the Nine Realms. 

Helblindi accepted the Casket with grace, his expression stoic and regal. But his eyes held deep emotion in them as they locked onto Loki. 

Iona wasn't sure, but it looked like Helblindi had unshed tears in his eyes. Perhaps she had misjudged him as a brute earlier...

"I promise you, brother, we shall only use the holy Casket to build, never to destroy. I do say so with my utmost regards. Thank you."

**As the evening came to a close, Fanndis tugged on Loki's cloak. Iona and Frigga watched from a distance as the young Jotun princess gave Loki his gift.**

**Loki's heart nearly wrenched open at the sight of it - everything he could want to know about his birth mother, all in one place...it was truly an incredible gift. **

**Tears came to his eyes.**

**"Thank you, Fanndis, this means so much to me..."**

**The little girl smiled at him brilliantly, her own eyes welling up. "It's the least I could do for you, brother. I'm glad that you like it."**

**He embraced her lovingly, thanking the Norns for their kindness… for gifting him with an adorable little sister.**

Iona came to stand next to Loki as he leafed through the journal, gazing intently at the face of his mother. 

"You look a lot like her, especially your eyes," she murmured, grasping his arm and leaning into him. "She would be so proud of you, husband."

**Loki’s throat closed with emotion, and he placed his hand on her arm. He looked around, watching the Aesir mingle with the Jotuns, his birth family joking with his adoptive family, and this palace that had once been a nightmare to him now feeling more like...home.**

**He couldn’t help it. A single tear rolled down his cheek. He wiped it away quickly, hoping no one saw it.**

**“Yes...I’m certain she would approve of how everything has worked out.”**

**He smiled down at her again, fangs and crimson eyes and horns glistening in the firelight. “I love you, Iona. Thank you.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for your support, your comments, your time, and your attention. WE LOVE YOU GUYS! We'll see you with the epilogue, and we'd love to know what you thought of the story overall.
> 
> And don't worry - we're not done with Loki and Iona just yet. But you'll have to be patient. :)


	50. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the Epilogue, the official conclusion to this tale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hokay so, who's got a breeding kink? :P  


**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**Bold Text** = _Loki's POV_

Normal Text = _Iona's POV_

* * *

**\-- Nine Months Later --**

###  [ ](https://satanuwka.deviantart.com/art/Loki-and-Sigyn-284669764)

Iona sighed deeply as Loki held her in his lap and gave her neck and shoulders a massage. It didn't relieve her of all the stiffness in her heavily pregnant body, but it did soothe her.

“You know what, I think that opening a new marketplace for inter-realm goods would be a good step in integrating them in the psyche of the Asgardian masses,” she murmured softly as his hands worked on her. “They’ll be more accepting then.”

Loki hummed in response.

It was their post-dinner ritual now, sitting like this in their living room, discussing the days' events. This was mostly the time when Loki sought her counsel.

Things had been quite busy on Asgard lately, with Loki announcing more interactions with the erstwhile isolated realms like Jotunheim. This was a direct result of their time spent on the Frost Giants’ world...and the announcement of Loki’s heritage.

After coming back to Asgard, Loki had publicly revealed the truth about his Aesir-Jotun parentage, much to the shock of the Asgardian populace. Things hadn't been smooth after that, but the common-folk had been more accepting than the nobles. 

That was par for the course.

Still, Iona had advised her husband to persevere and strive for a more inclusive Asgard, for the sake of all races. Hence, embassies representing each of the Nine Realms were opened in the Capitol, with a mission to help the Asgardians become more friendly with the other beings in the universe.

Obviously, the Jotuns were being given a special push in this, considering Loki's heritage. He was quite eager to promote friendlier Aesir-Jotun relations, especially now that his heir was almost here. He was even involving Midgard into all of this, which was saying something, considering his tumultuous history with that realm.

"How did the meeting go? The one with the Vanir and Jotun diplomats?" she asked, spreading her legs over Loki's thighs, straddling him while facing away. "I want things to calm down soon, even though the Vanir are a stiff lot. They don't welcome change easily, do they? Oh, and how are proceedings going with the Midgardians?"

**“I’m not particularly worried about Midgard, sweetling.” **

**The embassy from Midgard was quite well regarded, seeing as the ambassador from that realm, Jane Foster-Odinson, was also a Princess of Asgard. Diplomatically, the people of “Earth”, as they called it, were thrilled.**

**So, in just under two years, the people of Asgard, whose lives had been unchanged for eons, found themselves with a half-Jotun king, their first Midgardian princess, and a mixed heir to the throne. And much to Loki’s surprise, there was almost no resistance to the inclusiveness; instead, there was a lot of curiosity. It seemed he had been a bit out of touch in thinking that his heritage was the worst secret that could have been revealed...apparently, that was just Odin and his throng of nobles.**

**And the Vanir...Loki sighed and rolled his shoulders as he continued to knead Iona’s sore muscles. “The Vanir are still resistant to having a permanent Jotun embassy in Vanaheim...but they are coming around. Especially after Fanndis made her appeal to them. I swear that child could convince Thor to gently put down Mjolnir in the middle of a battle with those adorable expressions she’s been practicing. She is going to make an excellent politician someday...”**

Iona hummed in pleasure as he kneaded one especially sore spot. 

"Fanndis is quite like you, if less full of mischief," she remarked with a chuckle. "She is more enthusiastic about things in general. I find that very endearing.”

She leaned against his chest then, cradling her belly in her hands.

**He shifted his weight slightly to get more comfortable...and have more contact with Iona. As she had grown more and more pregnant, he had become obsessed with the changes in her body. He was both utterly fascinated and insatiable in his desire for her, especially once her pot belly started to develop.**

**And her breasts...oh Norns, if Loki could have imagined Iona’s breasts being anymore perfect, he might’ve lost his mind. They were so plump - almost comically so - and fantasizing about them being full of milk… Ymir’s balls, the mere thought of them made him rock hard.**

**Even ** ** _he _ ** **admitted it was a strange fixation, but Loki was never the one to judge a kink.**

Suddenly, Loki’s hands left her shoulders and proceeded to rub her belly, making her giggle. The giggles grew more pronounced as he moved up to cup her milk-filled breasts, squeezing them gently. She didn’t comment on it, for she was used to his idiosyncrasies now. She merely continued with the topic of her adorable sister-in-law.

“I think we ought to call Fanndis here for a longer stay now. She had asked me; she wants to witness the birth." 

**Loki raised an eyebrow at that. “Hmm. I’ll have to think about it. I’m not sure I want someone so young at the birth of my first child. Besides, it will be the first time ** ** _I _ ** **witness a birth - I may do something embarrassing. Perhaps she can watch the second?”**

**Leaving her precious breasts alone for now, he slid his hands down her body, pushing her forward slightly so he could press his thumbs into her lower back, smiling at the noise Iona made. A noise that sounded very much like ** ** _another _ ** **noise she made...**

**Loki felt a familiar (and recently, nearly persistent) tingling radiate from his crotch and through his body.**

**“How are you feeling, dear?” he asked as he gave her an especially good rub right where he knew she was sorest. His voice was just a bit darker now...no one but Iona could have even heard it.**

Iona bit her lip upon hearing the tell-tale darkness in his voice. Was he ever _ not _ready to ravish her?

"I'm better now, for you're here. I'm always better with you around," she stated honestly, adding a little moan to her voice. She wiggled a bit on his thighs, rubbing her ass against his growing bulge. "You're such a good husband."

**The sound of her voice and the movement of her body made him weak. He almost - ** ** _almost _ ** **\- let out a little moan of his own, but he managed to keep it trapped in his throat.**

**"I am...aren't I?" He grinned, still pushing into her lower back with his thumbs and massaging her, but now also rocking her on his manhood.**

**The way her huge belly moved up and down was visually stunning - he actually felt his mouth starting to water. "I do try to take such good care of you - you are the ** ** _queen_****, after all."**

"Oh husband, stop teasing me," she mumbled, trying her best to reach behind to cup him in her hand. "I... I need... relief. Please?"

**"Impatient wench..." he chuckled, but even as he said it he was lifting her gently off of him so he could undo his breaches. He removed his pants and shirt quickly, kicking a pant leg off of his foot while asking, "How would you like it today, sweetling? Leaning on the wall, on your hands and knees with the pillows, or that one you really enjoyed yesterday which I have learned the Midgardians call the 'Reverse Cowgirl'?"**

"What does it have to do with a cow?! And _ who _ told you--nevermind, I’m certain it was that Tony Stark gentleman..." she grumbled, throwing her underwear off and opening her legs wide as she lay back against the sofa. "Midgardians are quite wild. No, no cow-whatsoever... I already feel like one with this new girth of my belly. I just want you inside me, _ Daddy _."

She spoke the last word in a soft, needy voice. She knew it drove him wild. 

When she tried to touch herself, she found the roundness of her belly obstructing her. She made a frustrated noise in response. 

"I can't even touch myself, this is ridiculous..."

**"Oh please, darling, allow me..."**

**Loki dove toward her, pulling her forward gently so she could lay on her back while he lifted her knees over his shoulders.**

**"I'll be inside you soon enough...but first, this. Do indulge me, sweetling."**

**Before she could respond, his mouth was on her cunt, the flat of his tongue pressing against her opening. He slid upward before drawing her clit into his mouth and rolling it between his teeth and lips.**

Iona grasped the cushions and moaned, her eyes fluttering in relief. 

"Oh Valhalla, Loki!" she cried, literally humping his magical tongue. "Th-Thank you! I feel so frustrated all the time..."

Her thighs trembled in pleasure, finally getting some relief after a whole day of waiting.

**He responded by humming into her, his tongue lapping at her channel while she pressed up into him. He turned his focus to her clit as he brought his hand to her opening and slid two fingers inside her, instantly rubbing her favorite spot.**

She arched her back as he touched her pleasure spot, contracting around his fingers as she suddenly reached the pinnacle of pleasure. Panting heavily, she moaned his name in relief as the waves washed over her.

As the afterglow took over, her hands slowly left the cushions to pull at his hair and shoulders, trying her best to convey to him that she needed him inside her _now_.

**He took the hint.**

**Standing, he lifted her gently and took her to the bed, laying her on her side and settling in behind her. He slid his hand over her swollen breasts and bounced them, feeling a thrill of excitement at how heavy they were, then continued over her distended belly, until he had her by the hip.**

**Angling himself into her slowly, he eventually filled her in a most comfortable position, allowing her aching body to rest while he pumped his cock lazily in and out of her pussy.**

**“How’s this?” he asked as his hand gripped her hip and swayed her with his movement...aiding him in penetrating her deeper.**

Iona moaned in pleasure and relief... having him inside her felt so good!

Ever since her pregnancy progressed, she had grown more and more needy for him. Eir and Kira told her that it was hormones, but it felt like a mad craving.

"Just... stay inside," she urged, gripping his hands on her hips, trying to pull him closer.

Was she always going to be like this? Especially when heavy with his child?

**Loki grinned and pushed himself into her warm center, filling her to capacity, then just...stayed there. He so loved the heat of her body...and her reaction to him...and her shape...and the feel of her...and the view...**

**He rested easily, his nerves thrumming with the unique pleasure that he’d only discovered through her pregnancy - like a fire in a hearth, glowing invitingly, needing nothing more than simple contact and the occasional sound of her voice to keep him hard.**

**“You feel so good, darling. Are you certain you have to have the baby? Can’t I just keep you in this state forever?”**

**He chuckled at the playfully disdainful look she gave him in response. He bent down and kissed her softly, the action causing him to shift and move inside her...Norns, it was ambrosia! He barely caught the salacious moan before she could hear it. Maybe she did hear it...? Either way, he refused to leave the warm burrow that held his hard column of flesh by even a centimeter. She wanted him to stay inside, and that’s what he was going to do.**

"I'm not sure how I'll function if you keep me pregnant," she said, pulling him in for another kiss. "Mmmm... I'm already so compromised. Always craving you."

She tried to spread her legs further, folding one over his hip to give him room to gently thrust into her. That little bit of friction was sometimes enough to give her a string of orgasms.

His hand cupped her full breast as he canted his hips forward, going deeper inside her. The movement made her moan, and her body responded by clenching around him.

**Loki nuzzled her as he thrust gently, rocking both their bodies back and forth in such a way that he never fully left her, but he was giving her enough movement to satiate her insistent hormones.**

**He carefully reached around her swollen belly, and thanked the Norns for the length of his reach as he found her clit. He circled his fingers around her sensitive nub while pressing into her, the feeling of her skin in contact with his, her back to his chest...he could have died happy right there.**

**With his other hand, he gently held one of her humongous breasts, swaying and jiggling with the liquid inside - it was mesmerizing to watch it move, and feel the sloshing, shifting weight of it. His cock stiffened further.**

**“I believe it would be fair to say we’re craving each other...I think I’m going to keep you this way as long as I can.”**

**Feeling his lust rising, he picked up the pace, starting to chase his orgasm.**

"Oh, sounds both like a threat and promise! Mmmmhhh, a bit faster, my love," she sighed, holding her belly gently as he rocked her, his cock buried deep inside her slick pussy. "I need more... please Daddy!"

She needed to come so badly, her body felt like it was on fire. It was so damn needy, craving more and more pleasure every time they coupled.

**“Yes dear...” Loki grunted as he picked up the pace, swearing that he was in the best shape of his life from all the fucking they’d done. There was rarely a day where it didn’t happen.**

**He rolled her back and forth, letting the natural weight of her body guide their movement, and he felt her legs straining and tightening around his, trying to get leverage for more sensation. With a grin, he summoned the golden device and reached around to her clit, attaching the vibrating enhancer to her desperate nub.**

**“Are you ready to come for me, Iona?” he growled, his voice husky with lust and his balls on the verge of bursting.**

Iona couldn't _ not _come at the suggestion. She always did, her body so in sync with his. 

"Oh fuck, yes! Loki!" She moaned and leaned against his chest and closed her eyes in ecstasy as the orgasm washed over her. 

Her breathing was harsh, mixed with his deeper exhales of pleasure. The climax lasted long, and they kept moving in rhythm way beyond it. More orgasms followed, where it felt like she was on a plateau of pleasure. When he marked her with his seed, her sensitive walls welcomed that familiar sensation. It felt so good... it felt like home. He was indeed her home.

Moaning again, she finally felt sated. For now. They had been at it for hours, and she realized it must be the middle of the night by now.

She was just about to drift off into a peaceful slumber when she detected a trickle of fluid running down from her pussy, while she was still joined with him. Strange... she didn't gush so much during their lovemaking... why now?

Oh..._ Oh! _

"Loki, we need to move," she said urgently, squeezing his hand and smiling nervously. "It’s time. Take me to Eir immediately!"

* * *

Several hours later, just as the sun was beginning to crest over the distant mountains and a new day began on Asgard, Loki and Iona welcomed their daughter into the world. It was an exciting and stressful night, but they were both grateful that she had been born without any complications, especially given her mixed heritage. They decided to name her Ulfira, after the lake where they had honeymooned and Iona first learned about Loki’s Jotun side.

Iona smiled wearily as Loki held his daughter, quite amused at his look of wonder in the morning light.

“You look as though you’ve been put under a spell,” she remarked, turning to him gingerly, trying her best to not jostle her tender insides. The healing would take at least a day. “I hadn’t thought that you’d be like this. Our daughter is not even a day old and yet, she already has you wrapped around her finger.”

**“Sorry...what?”**

**Loki had been so enchanted by the tiny girl, looking at every little feature on her face, touching her grasping little hands, he hardly heard what Iona said. She was ** ** _perfect_ ** ** \- the most beautiful child he’d ever seen in his life. And she was ** ** _his_ ** **. His heart burst with indescribable love for this helpless, impossibly wonderful baby. His eyes never left her even as he responded to his wife.**

Iona chuckled and shook her head. “You’re hopeless, husband. Utterly hopeless. But I’m glad that you’re so taken with our little bundle of joy.”

The moment she said that, the baby began to fuss in Loki’s hold, causing his eyes to widen in surprise. It took a lot of resolve for her to not laugh at her husband. It was endearing to watch him with their daughter, so enthralled and yet, so confused. She had felt the same way when she had held Ulfira against her breast right after her birth.

Oh, the joys of parenthood...

**“What’s happening?” he asked, rocking the babe in his arms, being as gentle as he could be. “What does she want?”**

**Much to his continuing wonder, his daughter cried out a few times, and then began to suck on her own thumb, all the while looking up at him with sharp green eyes. The sucking was so loud that it echoed in the chamber.**

**It made Loki laugh.**

**“She’s… hungry?”**

“Of course, she is. Newborn babes are.”

Iona sighed in exasperation as she opened the fastenings of her gown to feed the babe, gesturing to him to hand their daughter to her.

“It’s good that she’s so hungry; my breasts are so full of milk, they’re almost aching. This is all thanks to you and your insatiable lusts."

**“****_My_ ** ** insatiable lusts?!” Loki balked, barely holding back a hearty belly laugh as he gently passed the infant to her. He smirked at Iona’s guilty, knowing smile.**

**Little Ulfira’s mouth was soon attached to her mother’s breast, and Loki was watching her feed with great interest. Iona was so beautiful as a mother...**

**“Sweetling...this is just the beginning. We have our entire lives to bicker and tease each other and make more babies...” He grinned teasingly. Then he bent down and kissed the top of her head, holding her close as she fed their daughter. **

**“I will always test you, my love. And now we begin the biggest test of all.”**

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:  
**Latent_Thoughts:** We started this story as a fun little RP. It grew into a monster, and with it, so did our friendship. This is why this tale will always be very close to my heart. I found myself a new fren through it. Now that it is finally finished, we're both feeling a bit bittersweet about it. There will be no more Test Sundays or Thursdays now... BUT! BUT, we're only done with this crazy lot _for now_. As Loki said, their biggest test has just begun. Parenting is no small feat, and Loki and Iona are about to learn just that. heh...  
We shall see you again in this series, hopefully soon. <3  
Thank you for all your kind and loving comments, everyone. And the kudos as well!  
You guys have been an amazing support. Love you all.
> 
> **EmeraldRoseQuartz:** I had NO IDEA when I first met Latent_Thoughts that we would end up writing this amazing story together! I'd never even tried RP writing before this, and her guidance and compassion were incredible - I haven't had this much fun in a long time. So thrilled to have made a great new friend half a world away...where else but the internet, right?  
We are NOT DONE with Loki and Iona - they are too damn irascible to leave alone for long! Until then (shameless plug), please check out **"The Pursuit of a Simple Life"** if you enjoy our writing - it's a great Loki-in-disguise angst/fluff/humor fest. :P  
Thank you thank you THANK YOU for all your love and support. We will see you soon!

**Author's Note:**

> Do share your thoughts about this fic with us. Comments are fic writers' gold.


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